Tourism in Kerala unaffected by Nipah as infection is contained: Minister

Despite the Nipah scare in the northern district of Kozhikode, tourism activities across Kerala have been continuing normally and safely, state Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas said on Sunday.

All events including the Champions Boat League (CBL) are taking place as per schedule, marking the commencement of the high inbound season, the minister said.

"The situation is well under control in a few pockets of Kozhikode district from where some cases of Nipah virus infection were reported, thanks to coordinated and foolproof containment measures taken on a war footing," the minister said in a press release.

He said the tourism department officials are in close touch with the travel and hospitality industry and service providers and that the feedback received is that all tourism activities are on track as planned.

Riyas added that Kerala has always remained a safe destination for tourists due to the state's strong health sector infrastructure and history of effective interventions during past medical emergencies. The situation is no different now, he said.

Kerala Tourism is poised to scale new heights by the year-end, having clinched an all-time high record of 20.1 per cent increase in domestic arrivals in the first half of 2023, the release said.

In the affected area, the government has mobilised the medical community in full strength and equipped them with the necessary health infrastructure, he added.

Localised quarantine zones have been demarcated and all precautions are in place. The strong and timely interventions have started yielding results, Riyas said.

Two persons have died of the viral infection and four people are under treatment, taking the number of confirmed cases of Nipah in the state to six.