Eight lakh tourists to visit Kerala during Neelakurinji season
The much-awaited Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes Kunthiana) season is almost here in Kerala and the state is expecting over 800,000 travellers to visit the picturesque hill station during July -October 2018 period. The Neelakurinji flowers will blossom after 12 years across the hills of Munnar in Idukki district during these months.
Neelakurinji is commonly found across the Western Ghats,and had flourished previously in 2006. Munnar has the largest concentration of the Strobilanthes out of the 46 varieties found in India. The mass flowering of Neelakurinji will begin in July for next three months, and will paint the hills blue.
“There is no better time to visit Munnar than the time when Neelakurinji plants bloom en masse. As many as 628,427 tourists had visited Munnar in 2017 with an increase of 34.31 percent as compared to 467,881 vacationers in 2016. The Tourism Department is expecting a growth of 79 percent in tourist arrivals to Munnar this year. This unique lifecycle of the plant makes the hills a must-visit destination for travel enthusiasts,” P Bala Kiran, IAS, Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala.
Kerala Tourism has been undertaking several steps to improve the tourism infrastructure in Munnar to accommodate the maximum number of vacationers at Neelakurinji hotspots. Vehicles would be regulated and provided with adequate parking space, while action would be taken for hassle free waste management.