Kerala suffered ?1,000 crore tourism loss post note ban
The Kerala government on Tuesday said the state's tourism sector registered a loss of about ?1,000 crore post the demonetisation drive by the Centre. The number of foreign tourists visiting the state decreased by 10-15% while the number of domestic tourists dipped by 20-30%. The fall is in contrast to the increase in the numbers before demonetisation, the government added. 
Minister Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 3 (PTI) Keralas tourism sector has registered an estimated loss of about Rs 1,000 crore, following a dip in the arrival of foreign and domestic tourists since the Centre announced demonetisation of high-value currencies, the state government said today. The cash crunch has severely affected the sector and the loss was estimated to be about Rs 1,000 crore since the demonetisation of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes came into effect from November 8 last, state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran told a press conference here. There was a decrease of 10-15 per cent in the number of foreign tourists arriving while the number of domestic tourists dipped by 20-30 per cent, he added. The fall in arrival of tourists was "in contrast" to an increase in the numbers of both foreign and domestic tourists before demonetisation, the minister said. He pointed out that the state netted a revenue of Rs 25,000 crore every year from the tourism sector. "The currency crunch arose during the tourism season itself and so, things went wrong to a great extent," Surendran said, adding that foreign tourists were not getting enough cash at airports on their arrival. Even though several complaints were received in this regard, due to the Centres "adamant" attitude, the state was not able to do anything, he claimed. Tourists were also spending very little money in the state now which had affected the local traders, said Surendran. The houseboat business, one of the main attractions of backwater tourism in Kerala, was "on the verge of collapse", he said and added that the state government would do "everything possible" to boost the tourism sector. 