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Thursday, July 13, 2000

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Going beyond God's own country


Mony K. Mathew

Despite its unique and multi-dimensional product profile, the tourism industry in Kerala had remained as just another economic activity till very recently. Though the exotic concept of `God's own country' did try to capture and convey the immense possibi lities the land offered to tourists, there had hardly been any systematic and scientific effort to develop the theme into a well-crafted package.

But, the growing realisation in recent times that only tourism and information technology, and not large industrial units, held the key to the State's future economic growth has helped set the priorities right for the Government.

The shot in the arm, of course, was provided by Kerala being placed among the `50 destinations of a lifetime' by National Geographic Traveller in a special collectors' issue released just before the turn of the millennium. Kerala was celebrated as a ``pa radise found'', one among the ten in the world, by the prestigious magazine. Encouraged by this rare recognition, the Government has embarked on a mission to make the State live up to the new-found status. Mr. Amitabh Kant, Tourism Secretary, Kerala Gove rnment, spoke to Catalyst at length on some of the projects and programmes designed to fully tap the State's tourism potential in the coming years.

On the new global recognition

The National Geographic Traveler came out with the list of the 50 destinations after indepth research lasting more than two years and Kerala was selected not merely for its magnificent natural beauty but also for its high social development indices such as the literacy rate, low infant mortality and low birth rates. Also, Keralites welcome the tourists neither with the subservience nor the rage usually found in other places, but on equal terms. This refreshing experience was also one of the factors that helped the State find its way to the magazine's list.

Close on the heels of the rating by the Traveler, the Union Government selected Kerala as the `best performing State' in the area of tourism. The other awards include `one of the 10 hot spots of millennium' by Emirates Inflight, `one of the best breakfas ts in the world' and `one of the 100 great trips for the 21 century' by Travel & Leisure, and `one of the six destinations of the millennium' by Khaleej Times.

On the uniqueness of Kerala as a tourist destination

Traditionally, tourism in India is identified with the `golden triangle' of Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra. But, Kerala has been able to create a brand equity of its own by developing innovative products like backwaters and Ayurveda. These, combined with its famous beaches, hill stations, wildlife and cultural festivals, have made the State a multi-dimensional and stand-alone destination. A major complementing factor is the excellent air connectivity provided by the three major airports at Thiruvananthapuram , Kochi and Kozhikode, of them the former two being international airports.

On the role of the private sector

In tourism, the major role is for the private sector, while the Government acts as a facilitator and catalyst by providing basic infrastructure and marketing support. In Kerala, the Government has been encouraging the private sector to set up hotels and resorts and has also created several models of public-private partnerships such as the ventures with Taj and Oberoi groups. The Casino group with its unique Coconut Lagoon, Spice Village and Marari Beach resorts has been kind of a trendsetter in the Stat e. And, every other project that has come up in recent times, such as Aquaserene, Golden Waters and Poovar Island Resorts, has tried to match world class standards.

Some enterprising entrepreneurs have also introduced innovative products like the tree huts in Wayanad, tribal cottages in Vythiri and, most recently, a 10-room house-boat complete with Ayurveda treatment, chemical toilets and solar panels.

On new projects in the pipeline

Intensive backwater development is one of the thrust areas in the scheme of things of the Tourism Department. It has initiated construction of world class houseboat terminals at major backwater nodes such as Alapuzha, Kumarakom and Thanneermukkom. Other projects include integrated development of Pampa-Kuttand region with tourists resorts planned at Pallathuturthy, Nedumudi, Kotharathode and Vattakayal, development of Ashtamudi backwaters and construction of waterside amenities at Kayamkulam and Alumkada vu.

A society has been constituted to develop Thenmala as an international eco-tourism centre and part of the project has already been commissioned. A major project is the development of Vagamon as an international hill resort for which the Government has al ready transferred 751 hectares of land from Kerala Livestock Development Board to the Tourism Department. The resort will have facilities such as golf course, star hotels and a helipad.

The department is also taking action on converting Fort Kochi into an international heritage centre. The work on the Rs. 3-crore project has already commenced and will be completed within a year.

On Ayurveda tourism

Ayruveda is fast emerging as a major tourist attraction in the State and the effort now is to ensure that the treatment is offered in its pure form on the lines of the famous Kottakkal and Dhanwantari, to name a few, traditions. Though many resorts are n ow offering Ayurveda treatment to tourists, the State Government has laid down strict standards to streamline their activities. The Tourism Department has appointed a committee headed by the Director of Indian System of Medicine to approve the proposals. Last year, several Ayurvedic centres in the State were closed down as they did not conform to the norms.

On perspective plans

The tourists inflow to the State has been growing at a healthy 18 per cent over the last five years and it should be possible to double it in the next five years. The aim is to achieve an inflow of five lakh tourists a year.

The department is planning to get world-class experts to prepare a 30-year macro-level perspective plan which will guide the future development of tourism in a scientific and professional manner. Also, micro level destination development master plans for one to five years will be prepared which will cover specific projects capable of getting financial assistance from various agencies.

On the new campaign strategy

The department has chalked out two special campaigns to promote the State in the Gulf countries and Singapore. Apart from the geographical proximity, the campaign in Gulf countries has been prompted by the large contingent of expatriates there and scores of flights between the three airports in the State and those countries. The Union Government has also sanctioned Rs. 1 crore to support the marketing in the Gulf and Rs. 50 lakhs for the campaign in the Far East.

A `travel mart' has also been planned in Kochi in October this year which is expected to bring in more than 300 buyers from different parts of the world.

The allocation for promotion and publicity has been increased from Rs. 1.5 crores in 1995-96 to Rs. 6 crores in the current year. A CD-ROM, titled `Kerala - the green symphony', has been accepted as one of the best traveller CDs in the world. Besides, the department's Web site (www.keralatourism.org) is one of the best and largest Web sites in the country on tourism and which is updated every week with new video and music clips.

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