At present, we are receiving heavy rains in Kodagu, so once the rains moderate, footfall will definitely increase,” he said.Meanwhile,Farhan,owner of another homestay,said the closure of Raja’s Seat by the Department of Tourism has also affected tourism. “Either tourists avoid coming to Kodagu fearing landslides, or they stay away altogether because of the closure of such important attractions,” he said .In Chikkamagaluru, tourist footfall has been moderate due to the rainfall deficit. Sarita, who owns a private homestay in Kallugudde village, said,“This year, rainfall has reduced by 60% compared to last year .
Likewise,the number of tourists is either moderate or low. Despite the lack of rain, the mist continues to attract visitors. However, most homestays are not making a profit as the prices of commodities have increased and workers’ salaries have also gone up.
But in bid to attract tourists,our charges have remained unchanged.”She said the reduced rainfall has affected business,even though visitors continue to enjoy region’s misty weather.Meanwhile, Prasanna, owner of a homestay in Mudigere,said, “The IT crowd that earlier used to visit during weekends has reduced drastically. With tourism rules being relaxed in other States, many tourists prefer travelling there instead of exploring destinations within Karnataka.”‘Agumbe not the same’A similar trend has been noticed in Agumbe,once known as the place receiving the highest rainfall in the State.
- Sarita,who owns a private homestay in Kallugudde village, said,“This year, rainfall has reduced by 60% compared to last year.
- Likewise, the number of tourists is either moderate or low .
- Despite the lack of rain, mist continues to attract visitors.
Sunil,a member of the hospitality and service team at a private homestay in Agumbe,said, “We have beautiful waterfalls and viewpoints in Agumbe. Unfortunately,due to lack of rain, there is little or no water in these places.”He said they now inform guests in advance about the situation. “There have been customers who argued with us and refused to pay,saying there is no water,” he said.Mr.
Sunil added that Agumbe had been receiving good rainfall since July 30 and expressed hope that tourism would pick up soon.Mallesh Doddamani,a tourist who travelled to Agumbe from Hubballi with his family, said they were hugely disappointed . “After reaching there,we realised there was hardly any water in the falls,” he said.
