With the holiday for Independence Day falling very close to the weekend, Udhagamandalam town played host to thousands of tourists keen to take a short break and head to the hills for some rest and relaxation.
From Saturday, heavy traffic was reported along all the major roads in town, including Commercial Road, Ettines Road, and Mysore Road. Police personnel were mobilised, especially during the peak morning and evening hours to direct traffic and prevent gridlocks from taking place across town, especially along Commercial Road and Charring Cross, police officials said.
There were also good crowds reported at the Theppakadu Reception Center in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Tourism department officials said that more than 5,000 people had visited the Pykara Lake during the course of the weekend, and a similar amount of tourist footfall was witnessed on Monday and Tuesday as well.
Similarly, almost 16,000 people a day had visited the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam everyday since Saturday, which is just a few thousand people short of the tourist footfall witnessed during the peak of the summer season. “On Sunday alone, more than 18,000 visitors came to the garden, and we think that well over 50,000 people have visited over four days,” said an official from the horticultural department.
After a lull in business for hotels and restaurants in the Nilgiris since July and the first week of August, the long weekend signaled an upturn in fortunes for the majority of businesses reliant on the tourism industry.
Ismael Khan, Resident Director of the Gem Park Hotel in Udhagamandalam and also the vice-president of The Nilgiris Hotel and Restaurant Association, said that all the high-end hotels as well as smaller ones were booked out by tourists, especially those from Kerala and Karnataka.
“The bookings for our hotel were made more than two weeks ago and mostly through internet portals, so most visitors had made plans in advance to visit the Nilgiris, which is a good sign,” said Mr. Khan.
