Kerala Tourism expects over 800,000 travellers to visit the picturesque hill station during the July -October 2018 period. It is during these months that the Neelakurinji flowers will blossom after 12 years across the hills of Munnar in Idukki district. Neela in local parlance translates to the colour blue and Kurinji is the local name for the flower.
Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes Kunthiana), commonly found across the Western Ghats, blooms in all its glory unleashing a visual extravaganza once in every 12 years. The decade-long blooming cycle of the flower is what makes it a rare spectacle. Last time, the flower had flourished in 2006. Munnar has the largest concentration of the Strobilanthes out of the 46 varieties found in India. The mass flowering of Neelakurinji will begin in July for next three months, and will paint the hills blue.
Talking about the Neelakurinji blossom season, P. Bala Kiran, IAS, Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, said, “There is no better time to visit Munnar than the time when Neelakurinji plants bloom en masse. As many as 628,427 tourists had visited Munnar in 2017 with an increase of 34.31 percent as compared to 467,881 vacationers in 2016. The Tourism Department is expecting a growth of 79 percent in tourist arrivals to Munnar this year. This unique lifecycle of the plant makes the hills a must-visit destination for travel enthusiasts.”
In the interim, Kerala Tourism has been undertaking several steps to improve the tourism infrastructure in Munnar to accommodate the maximum number of vacationers at Neelakurinji hotspots. Vehicles would be regulated and provided with adequate parking space, while action would be taken for hassle free waste management.
