Kerala Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas on Sunday, September 17 said that tourism activities across Kerala are moving ahead safely and normally with all events including the Champions Boat League (CBL) taking place as per schedule, marking the commencement of the high inbound season.

The minister said that the situation was well under control in a few pockets of Kozhikode district from where some cases of Nipah virus infection were reported, thanks to co-ordinated and foolproof containment measures taken on a war footing.

Riyas, who is camping in Kozhikode, his home district, to closely monitor the situation along with Health Minister Veena George, said that there was no room for worry on this count. Tourism Department officials are in close touch with the travel and hospitality industry and service providers and the feedback is that all tourism activities are on track as planned, the Minister said.

In the affected area, the government has mobilised the medical community and the health infrastructure in full strength. Localised quarantine zones have been demarcated and all precautions are in place. The strong and timely interventions have started yielding results, he said. He added that given the state’s strong health sector infrastructure and history of effective interventions during the past medical emergencies, Kerala has always remained a safe destination for tourists, and the situation is no different now.

Kerala Tourism has come out unscathed from serious crises in the past, like natural disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic and is poised to scale new heights by the year-end, having clinched an all-time high record of 20.1 percent increase in domestic arrivals in the first half of 2023, he added.