Kodaikanal hoteliers unhappy as tourists stay away fearing e-pass: Report

More than 70,000 e-passes have reportedly been issued for vehicles entering Kodaikanal so far since May 7. However, hoteliers are unhappy, as the Madras High Court mandate has reportedly discouraged many from visiting the Tamil Nadu hill station even though it has been made clear that there is no restriction on the number of e-passes being issued. These will be required till June 30.

Hoteliers unhappy

The Kodaikanal Hotel and Resort Owners’ Association told The Hindu that the fall in tourist inflow has hit local businesses. Association president Abdul Gani Raja pointed out that many depend on the summer vacation period for brisk business, even borrowing money to invest in the tourist season. However, the e-pass has dampened their trade.

While it has been repeatedly clarified that the e-pass will be issued to all applicants and a website is also in place for easy application, many tourists have still cancelled their trips due to lack of awareness, Raja said. Most of the cancellations came on the first three days, that is, May 7 to 9, though things improved from the 10th, he added.

Congestion concerns

Even tourists who come on day trips from nearby districts gave the hill station a miss, Raja said, as quoted in the report. He added that there should be greater effort from the state government to raise awareness about the e-pass system and dispel myths.

However, a high-end hotel official told the newspaper that there were no cancellations at their property. The executive said some guests had inquired about any possibility of traffic jams due to the checking of the e-pass at the entry to the hill station, but everything is smooth now, he added.

From May 6 to May 15, at least 72,080 e-passes had been issued, a transport department official said, according to the report. The e-passes are being scanned from the phone display of the applicants at the entry point, Silver Cascade, which is not time-consuming, he clarified.