IDUKKI:
Except the traces of landslips and damage of roads in some areas, the tourism sector in Idukki district has bounced back to normal with no evidence of the devastating floods in Kerala.
Now the focus of tourism in Kerala should be ensure sustainability and becoming a role model. Planned construction, eco-friendly initiatives and relaying of roads with more durability has to be planned by the government and those in the tourism industry.
Scaria Jose, executive director of Carmelia Haven, the Plantation Resort and Spa at Vandenmedu, says that the government had taken all steps to bring back the tourism industry in Kerala. The tourism industry in Kerala is dependent on nature and we should protect it to attract more tourist to God’s Own Country.
“We should ensure sustainability in future developments of Kerala tourism. Idukki district was one of the worst effected in floods and now it is back to normal with the industry ready to offer all the facilities for the tourists”, Scaria Jose said.
He also pointed out that Responsible Tourism has a major role to play in the growth of tourism industry as well as involving the local community. Carmelia Haven, which is one of the pioneers in environment friendly resorts in Kerala, is a role model in bringing together the entrepreneurs and the local community, where farmers, craftsmen and artists are benefitted.
Soon after the floods, the tourism department was quick to launch campaigns to attract tourists to Kerala and announce that the damage to the industry was rectified. The 12-point plan of the tourism department will help in reimaging Kerala as a tourism brand around the world.
The Kerala Travel mart 2018, was a great success which helped in building confidence among tourists and those in the industry who participated in the event. The visitors at the event were taken to the major tourist spots in Kerala, especially Idukki district, to have an on the spot assessment of how tourism bounced back, he added.
The State’s tourism sector, which provided a revenue of around ₹34,000 crore last year, and contributes around 10 per cent to the State GDP. The Responsible Tourism related activities provide jobs to 30,000 families, while 7,800 of them are direct beneficiaries.
During the last financial year, the domestic tourists to Kerala grew by 11.4 per cent to 14.7 million while foreign tourist arrivals grew by 5.2 per cent to 1.09 million. Total foreign exchange from the tourism sector grew by 8.3 per cent to Rs 83.92 billion while the total revenue from tourism grew by 12.6 per cent to Rs 333.84 billion.
