Heavenly destination
By Venkatachari Jagannathan | 19 Jun 2002
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Says Kerala tourism secretary T Balakrishnan: "Indian hill stations are hundreds of years old, and despite the importance of tourism and its trickle-down effect on the economy, not a single one has been developed in recent times." Instead, popular hill stations are undergoing degradation and crass commercialisation.
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Sample the honours the state has bagged. National Geographic recently identified Kerala as one of the 10 paradises in the world, the only one in India. In January 2002, Financial Times, London, certified the state as a choice of smart travellers in its cover story. The Indian government has chosen Kerala as the best performing state. And finally, the state has recently bagged the first Outlook Traveller-TAAI Award for Excellence, 2000-01, for the sustained efforts in synergising private entrepreneurship to promote tourism.
Hard-earned vacation
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The partnership will bring in fresh initiatives from the private industry and will give a sense of responsibility to the public sector for sustainable tourism development in the state. "As a part of the marketing efforts we are getting opinion-makers and high-visible individuals like Prime Minister A B Vajpayee to visit Kerala," says Balakrishnan.
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The sustained efforts are part of a planned programme by the state government to promote Kerala as a preferred tourist destination. The states attempt to attract industrial investments failed due to its bad image "Gods own country and devils own people," is how a prominent industrialist describes his state. Moreover, the state was not sold as an active tourist destination all these years.
It was the demand drafts from the Keralites working in the Gulf countries and other places that rescued the states economy so far. Finally, during the 7th Plan Period, the state, in order to salvage its economy, decided to flash its trump card: the 600-km safe coastline, 44 rivers, lagoons, lakes, canals, backwaters and boathouses.
A quiver full of arrows
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Says Balakrishnan, "The state has spent the entire Rs 200 crore allocated during the 10th Plan period for tourism." The state increased its outlay for tourism to Rs 40 crore from Rs 29.2 crore during 1996-97. Now the total direct revenue from tourism for the state is around Rs 500 crore.
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Catching up with the increasing number of tourists are the hotel rooms, also on the rise in recent years. Between 1999 and 2000, around 600 hotel rooms were added in the state. All the major star hotels have their presence in Kerala. The target is to add 200 star hotel rooms every year.
Ace ventures
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The avowed goal is to link waterways from Kovalam to Kasargod and enable tourist boat operations and houseboats, development of jetties, wayside facilities, boat terminals and solid waste-disposal system for backwaters. Incidentally, Kerala is the first state in the country to enact the Tourism Conservation, Preservation and Trade Bill to regulate tourism-related activities.
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Similarly, in order to sensitise the populace and others with whom tourists would interact (policemen, auto-drivers and the like), the government has started creating an awareness campaign about the importance of tourists to the states economy. Also planned are tourist clubs in schools and colleges. "People should consider tourists as their family guests," advises Balakrishnan.
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Tourism woos
The tourism department is planning to sell at least one innovative package or product to tourists every year. The one-month shopping and tourism festival held in Kochi in December 2001 was a right step in that direction. This aside, the department also actively promotes the well-known Kerala fares like boat races, ayurvedic centres, houseboats and others.
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Though the focus is on international tourists, Kerala is not ignoring domestic travellers. The state is in talks with the other southern states to evolve a common strategy to attract tourists.
While the strengths of Kerala are its natural endowments, its weaknesses are manmade. The state lacks clear and well-defined policies, inadequate infrastructure, a restrictive airline policy, coastal regulations, and a lack of quality connectivity. Well aware of these issues, the state is taking effective measures to make it the best travel destination in the world.
See you in Kerala.