Yercaud boathouse opens, tourists’ footfall to go up

“The existing salubrious weather is attracting tourists to the hills. Yet, the footfall continues to remain minimal and has not reached its pre-COVID-19 times. Only less than 50 per cent of the crowd could be seen in the hills during both weekdays and weekends,” said an official of the Tourism Department.

Not less than 5,000 people come to Yercaud on weekdays and it used to go up by 15,000 during weekends at this time in the previous years.

“Now the tourist arrival has dropped to just 1,000 to 1,500 people. The pandemic has hit the tourism sector so badly,” the official added.

Ahead of the Christmas and New Year holiday season, the Tourism Department has proposed to have another added attraction in the hills. A ‘Cat-Decker’ boat is likely to join the 57 odd boats existing in the boathouse.

“The boathouse has all types including pedaling, rowing and motor boats. But the Cat-Decker boats, which are already there in Ooty give a 360-degree view for tourists and will be most preferred. A Pune based firm is delivering one such boat which is expected in two weeks,” the official added.

All other tourist spots in the hills, including Anna Park, Botanical Garden and Rose Park have been spruced up by the Horticulture Department during their closure.