The decrease in COVID-19 test positivity rate in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, which has coincided with the festive season, has resulted in drastic increase in the footfall of tourists to beaches and temple towns in the twin districts, according to stakeholders.
“Tourist visits to the region have increased significantly and it is more than what we have seen during the festival season during the pre-COVID-19 days,” said General Manager of The Ocean Pearl B.N. Girish.
The former Chief Executive Officer of Panambur Beach Development Project Yatish Baikampady, who runs a home stay, said that the increase in tourists has far exceeded the accommodation facilities available in the city, which tourists make their base for their visits to places in and around the region. “With difficulty in getting rooms in hotels, tourists are moving to home stays,” he said.
Ravilochan Achar, who runs Kuteera Home Stay in Hosabettu here, said that there is a preference for “stay vacation” through which families stay in home stays for more than a week. “Elders prefer to work from home stays, while the younger ones continue with their online studies,” he said.
Mr. Achar said that a good number of families opting for stay vacation are those coming from Bengaluru. There are also tourists who are coming for a short three-day visit to go to temples and beaches. Tourists are holidaying in adherence to COVID-19 norms, he added.
To promote tourism sector, Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath said, Mangaluru Smart City Limited has taken up a host of activities, including development of riverfront development where water sports, kayaking and floating restaurants have been planned. “We have also proposed to take up development of “Kudrus” (river islands),” he said.
Activities in the region were unlocked over a month ago. Restrictions continue for those coming from Kerala and Mumbai, who are asked to produce RT-PCR negative certificate, not older than 72 hours of their visit.
