Tourist footfall from Udumalpet in Tamil Nadu to Kanthalloor in Idukki district in neighbouring Kerala has been on the rise, but tour operators say they are not too excited about the development.

The only place in South India where apples are grown, Kanthalloor with its valleys and verdant forests has salubrious weather conditions akin to Munnar and is reachable from Udumalpet in about one-and-a-half hours by road. Since it is located on the eastern side of the Western Ghats on the border of Kerala, it is closer to Udumalpet in Tamil Nadu. However, the catch for the tour operators is that the road passes through Anamalai Tiger Reserve on the Tamil Nadu side till Chinnar.

Tour operators in Tiruppur say most of the visitors seeking tour package to Kanthalloor village travel by the Chennai Central-Palghat Express. The movement of traffic is usually heavy during weekends. The stretch of nearly 14 km passing through the ATR on the Tamil Nadu side though maintained by the State Highways belongs to the Forest Department.

According to Forest Department sources, the movement of tourist cars and vans has more than quadrupled in the last five years. However, the question of widening the three-metre road does not arise as it would entail securing the consent of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA).

While Munnar could be reached from both Udumalpet and Theni, the shortest route to Kanthallur for tourists in Tamil Nadu is Udumalpet, say the tour operators.

The tour operators are aware of the restrictions on movement of vehicles inside the Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

“The comforting factor is that only a small segment of travellers who prefer pristine environment untouched by commercial tourism choose to visit Kanthalloor,” said S.M. Nagaraj, a functionary of tour operators’ association in Tiruppur.

Though there is business potential from tourism point of view, the activities will have to be limited within the restrictions, he said.