It’s holiday season again
Tourists at the Bryant Park in Kodaikanal.FILE PHOTO: G. Karthikeyan.
Big spurt in arrival of tourists in Kodaikanal
Thanks to cool weather, mist-covered valleys and cloud-capped peaks, the second holiday season has picked up momentum in Kodaikanal. Arrival of tourists registered a sharp increase this weekend.
The crowd was heavy at major tourism locations. The lake, one of the most popular spots, attracted a huge crowd. Tourists thronged Bryant Park with Horticulture Department creating a ‘train’ made of flowers to entertain children.
Last year, the department had created a blue Kurinji garden inside the park by planting more than 200 saplings. “Now, they have started blooming,” said R.C. Raja Priyadharsan, Horticulture Officer in Bryant Park. “The Kurinji plant, which blooms once in 12 years, blossomed in 2006. While the next flowering season is 2018, several plants have started blooming this year due to climate change and their own blooming cycle.”
Tourists got an opportunity to see Kurinji flowers inside the park this season. Earlier, they had to go to interior villages or to the valley, 3,000 feet below Coakers Walk to see the flowers.
The park received more than 6,000 visitors on Saturday. Revenue through sale of ticket at Bryant Park was Rs. 1.56 lakh. The blooming of Agave Attenuate plant was another star attraction this season as it blooms either in winter or summer once a decade, the officer said.
Cab operators and hoteliers were in jubilant mood because of the sudden spurt in arrival of tourists. Almost, all rooms in major hotels were booked. Arrival of tourists from Kerala and Karnataka was also high.
The number of vehicles crossing the toll gate manned by Kodaikanal Municipality crossed 1,500 against 350 to 500 during normal days. Many tourists from Chennai, Kerala and Karnataka too visited the hill. The second season closes by October-end or the first week of November.
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