Alappuzha (Kerala), Dec 29 (IANS) The popular tourist destinations of Kottayam and Alappuzha in Kerala were Tuesday evening agog with rumours that popular US singer Britney Spears was arriving on a private visit with her kids.

Speaking to IANS, Tomy Pullikattil, who owns a fleet of houseboats on the Vembanad Lake, said he had been flooded with phone calls asking if the news was correct.

'I must have received a 100 calls including from abroad asking if Britney is indeed visiting. Even the district collector called me to inquire if it was true, and to all I have given the same answer - that I too have heard about it. I also got a few calls from anxious resort owners from Kumarakom,' said Pullikattil.

Meanwhile, a report from London said the pop star has apparently cancelled the visit after learning that the paparazzi have already reached here.

A few years ago another hugely popular singer Paul McCartney went unnoticed even after moving around in the capital city attending a temple festival. It was only after he boarded the aircraft did his travel agent reveal that the singer had been in Thiruvananthapuram.