Monsoon Worries in Kerala
Every year in April and May the weather gets hotter in Kerala, and dryer as locals wait for the monsoon to break with its customary fury. Now the meteorological service of India are suggesting that may be a thing of the past as India becomes dryer and drought becomes more common in the monsoon months.
The monsoon is a fundamental building block of the climate in India, providing everything from water from agriculture to a ground supply of water for then tens of thousands of Indian villages who still rely on wells.
For the past couple of years the Monsoon has been unpredictable and weak in Kerala’s case. The long weeks of rain have become intermittent and been replaced with sudden savage storms and then long waits for the next rain. In a study of monsoon patterns in India over the last 150 years, BN Goswami, director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, said global warming had made India’s weather more unpredictable.
This year alone the poor monsoon has caused agricultural production to fall by 20% and has reduced GDP growth by 2% so the the driving impact of the monsoon is clear to see.
For Kerala which is less reliant on the monsoon for agriculture, the monsoon is critical for hydropower in the ghats where it refills the lakes for the long dry winter. Poor electrical supply is the bane of the lives of keralites who experience rolling powercuts every night.
goodbye Manos
And now Manos have cancelled their Kerala packages for 2009. Manos are the oldest tour company offering Kerala to the UK market and will be a real loss to Kovalam hotels and resorts. Its not the numbers but the ease that matters: direct flight, single payment. It’s a good way to introduce yourself to India.
First Choice Kerala – I don't think so
First Choice Holidays have cancelled their package holiday charters to Kerala for the winter 2009 season leaving early bookers struggling to get their deposits back.
This come after Thomas Cook and their Manos subsidiary have made the same decision cancelling their weekly flight from London Gatwick to Trivandrum.
Why? The tour operators are enjoying a torrid 2009 season with too many stay at home tourists and very price conscious too!
For Kerala this could be a small disaster as Kovalam Beach hotels rely on strong charter income for their year revenues. Now they will have to make other plans for the winter as well.
For customers: the first choice is a standard flight and booking with local or independent agents. Cheaper? nope! more fun certainly!
see more details of your options on Karma Kerala for Kerala package holidays
Thomas Cook has stopped charters to Kerala
Thomas Cook has stopped offering package holiday charters to Kerala , which means that more rooms would be available in prime destinations like Kovalam and Thekkady for smaller groups who visit Kerala on private holidays. During peak tourist season, most of the popular hotels and houseboats would be booked well in advance in bulk by charter trip operators at the expense of private holiday groups.
Karma Kerala has been selling Kerala holidays for small and big groups at easy deals and unbeatable packages for many years now and booking with us would help you to make your dream holiday come true. No other travel agency is doing charter from UK to Kerala this year. So make the most of this opportunity and enjoy a great holiday in Kerala. Now you would not be left wanting for accommodation options of your choice as there would be enough options for everyone!
There are some details and advice for Thomas Cook Kerala customers here