Munnar, the renowned hill station of Kerala, witnessed a blanket of frost on last Monday as the temperature dipped to -4 degrees Celsius. The cold wave has been continuing in all over south India, which has rejuvenated the tourism sector after being dormant in recent months, due to various factors.
The hill station is getting crowded with tourists, who flock to enjoy the cold weather and to witness the frost. While Chenduvara recorded -4 degree Celsius, Periavurrai, Silent Valley, Kanniamallay and Sevenmallay recorded -2 degree Celsius on Monday.
Frost coated plants
The hills and valleys of Kannimala, Chenduvara, Chittuvara, Sevenvalley, Nallathanni and Munnar town were covered in frost over the weekend.
“We got a good number of bookings in the last two weeks. After the floods and landslides, Christmas and New Year has helped to increase the bookings. Now the cold weather has added to the inflow of tourists to the hill station,” said Vimal Roy, General Manager, The Fog Resort & Spa, Munnar.
Fog Resort and Spa, Munnar
“The reports and reviews in the Medias have helped to evoke interest in people to visit Munnar. Mostly domestic tourists are coming to witness the frost and to enjoy the cold weather. People are coming for short visits. Though overstay tourists are comparatively less, we still have almost 70 per cent occupancy in our properties. After the chaos of floods, this is a good improvement,” added Vimal.
Frost covered grassland, Munnar
Apart from Munnar, many places in Tamil Nadu are also witnessing a drastic decline in temperatures. Valparai, Ooty and Kodaikkanal recorded single-digit temperatures last week and other interior districts of Tamil Nadu like Vellore and Krishnagiri also bore the brunt of chilly weather.
The India Meteorological Department last week had predicted that ground frost would occur at a few places in the hills of Nilgiris, Coimbatore and Dindigul districts in Tamil Nadu. The cold wave in the state started on January 1, with the retreat of the northeast monsoon from south India.
