CHAPTER-S

COASTAL TOURISM IN KERALA

erala means the land of coconuts. It is the southern-

most state with highest literacy rate & second most

densely populated state in India. Nature has endowed Kerala

with a lavish decoration of all beautiful things; blue lagoons,

golden beaches, backwaters, blue-green mountain ranges, wildlife

sanctuaries, historical monuments, temple-churches & mosques.

It is a land of Kathakali, Kalariapattu, Elephant show, Boat

races etc., everything full of action & zeal.

According to legend, the land was a gift of Parsuram,

one of the ten incarnations of Bhagawan Vishnu. It is believed

that he threw his 'parsu' the battle axe 1 into sea to atone for

his sin of slaying generations of Kshatriyas. At this the

sea receded. The created landmass was Kerala.

Its ancient history is not very clear. The history

appears by the work of Llango Adikal, a Tamil scholar of the

Sangam age. He wrote an epic, 'Silappadikaram•.~ With this

work one can trace the origin of many contemporary rulers,

who held their control over northern, central & southern Kerala

from third to fifth century A.D.

The Kul-Sekhar period (800-1102 A.D.) witnessed the

growth of Hinduism & its predominance over Jainism & Buddhism.

Shankaracharya, the great Advaita philosopher who spearheaded

306

the renaissance of Hinduism was a contemporary of Kulshekhara

Alwar. The Bhakti movement also left a mark on this period,

this resulted into Shaiva & Vashnava cults. The natural out­

come of this movement was the construction of many beautiful

Hindu temples & development of art & dance forms exclusive to

Kerala. The physical features; the eastern mountains & Arab­

ian sea in west provided a kind of relative isolation.

Being a coastal state with a coastline of about 575Km.,

the sea played an important role in shaping the history of

Kerala. The sea facilitated connections with many western

countries. The evidences of trade relations with Egyptians,

Phoenicians, Chinese & Babylonians were even as back as third

century B.C. Among the Europeans, the first nationals were

Portuguese who landed in early 17th century. Then the Dutch,

the French & the English followed them who found this land

very prosperous of ivory, teak & spices. Religiously, the

foreign religions also entered here. The first among them

was St. Thomas the Apostle. He landed here in ~·2 A.D. & spread

the gospel of Christ. With the arrival of the Portuguese

Latin liturgy was also introduced in the churches. Later

on the Protestantism was brought into Kerala by the Dutch &

the British.

Before the freedom of India, Kerala was made up of

two princely states; Tranvancore-Cochin & Malabar, which was

KERALA COP\STAL TOURIST CENTRES

t C.M. =35KM.

307

308

under the direct administration of the British. As India

became free, these two states were joined as one. After July

1949 the state was known as Travancore-Cochin State. Under the

State-reorganisation act, 1956 the Malabar state was united

into it, to form Kerala on Ist November, 1956. In this scheme

of state re-organisation Laccadive, Minicoy & Aminidiv islands

were detached from Kerala & declared as Union Territory.

TOURIST RESOURCES OF KERALA

Thiruvananthapuram is the capital of Kerala. The

~eaning of the name is the 'City of Anantha' or the abode of

the sacred serpent Anantha, on which Bhagwan Vishnu (the pre­

server of Hindu trinity) reclines. The temple of Sri Pamana­

bhaswamy (Bhagwan Vishnu), which was rebuilt by Raja Marthand

Verma in 1733 A.D. with its magnificent gopuram of seven

storeyed height, was deity of the state. Its historical back­

ground also is an important factor which has given it special

gravity. Besides these, there are other attractions.too,

such as Napier musuem, Sri Chitra art gallery, Natural history

museum, Science & Technology musuem, Musuem art gallery & Zoo.

The Kovalam beach is one of the main attractions for foreign

tourists, which has given it special attention on the world

map. Thiruvananthapuram is an international airport & connec­

ted with Indian Airl~nes internally. It is well connected

309

with rail & road with important cities.

Cochin is very beautiful place with harbours, ports,

backwaters & several islands. There is an ancient 'Chinese

fishing nets' at the entrance of harbour which are evidence

of Kerala's trade relationship with China. Cochin consists

Ernakulam of Wellingdon island, Vypen island, Gundu Island,

Bolghatty island, Mattancheri etc. The islands are linked

with bridges.

Cochin has a rich combination of a Jewish Synagogue,

Dutch architecture, some mosques, temples & Chinese fishing

nets. All representing different culture & history. The Jewish

Synagogue was built in 1568 A.D. by Mattancherry. The Great

Scrolls of the old testaments, the copper plates in which the

grants of privilege made by the Cochin rulers were recorded

& the exquisite chinese hand painted tiles are antiquities of

interest. All tiles are unique in design, no two are similar

& over 200 years old. There are five silver & gold crowns

which were gifted to the Syn~gogue by various patrones.

Mattancherry Palace was built in 1555 A.D. by Portu­

guese & presented to the Cochin Raja. In 1663 the Dutch

repaired & extended parts of palaces so it got it name as

Dutch, though neither Portuguese nor Dutch lived here for any

time. There is a portrait gallery of Cochin Rajas, many rooms

with murals on Ramayana, made in 17th century. The man made

310

island Wellingdon, the Bolghatty island with Dutch made palace

& the Gundu islands are attractive for tourists. Being a port

it is itself important & all other things & museum etc. are

the reason that the touris~, whoever visits Kerala is attracted

to Cochin. Its attraction for the tourists of all religions,

because there is no such religious place where the entry is

prohibited for any sect.

Alleppy is 60 Km. from Cochin. It is also full of

canals, waterways & temples. There is famous Snake temple.

There are at least 4000 granite stone snake idols. It is

linked with Cochin~& Kottayam by backwaters. Alleppy is one

of the major tourist attraction as being a venue for the Nehru

Trophy Snake Boat (chundans) race.

Kappad beach, which is 16 Km. from Kozhikode(Calicut)

is the place which started modern history of India. This was

the key to India, where Vasco-de-Gama landed first. Thereafter

as soon as this key was found by other Europeans, the treasure

of India was plundered to Europe. Now a days Payipad, north

of Quilon is developed for water sports.

Apart from these there are many other attr~ctions too.

In this state nature itself is not an attraction only. The

active people of Kerala, their festivals, cultural activities

etc. are also added attractions in themselves. It was linked

311

with western world since the advent of Christianity, Judaism

& Islam. Even the modern history begins from Kerala. The

coastal tourism is well developed in Kovalam. Apart from it

Varkala, Baypore, Kappad, Cannanore, Bekal & Manjeshwara etc.

have potentiality to be developed as beach resorts. But

geographical constraints are drawback in their development.

Accommodation

The Department of Tourism & the Kerala Tourism Develop-

ment Corporation have a network of good lodging & boarding

facilities. More facilities are coming up at the lakes &

beach resorts. Yet, they are insufficient in number. After

considering the immediate need of more accommodations, Govern-

ment of Kerala made some encouraging rules & regulations to

get cooperation of private sector.

Tourism was declared as an industry in Kerala by an

order issued on 11th July, 1986. On the recommendation of

Central Government the State Government rendered the status

\ of industry to tourism sector. The motive behind this decla-

ration was that by this order the tourism related activities

will be automatically eligible for the concessions/incentives

as applicable to the industrial sector from time to time. The

. . 1 concessions prov1ded to the tour1sm sector were :

i.

ii.

iii.

iv.

v.

vi.

vii.

312

Subsidy for preparation of feasibility/project report.

Investment subsic:· limited to 10 % thereof.

Incentive for training local manpower.

Augmenting availability of funds from State Financial

Corporations.

Concession in electricity & water charges.

Allocation of land at concessional rate.

Exemption from building tax levied by the Revenue

Department.

An amount of Rs. 25 lakhs were provided for the year

1987-88 for subsidy. The ingredients eligible for the concess~

ions mentioned above were:

i. Classified hotels (one to five star).

ii. Motels (which confirm to the specifications of the

Department of Tourism of Kerala/Central Government).

iii. Restaurants ( approved by classification Committee of

the Government of India).

iv. Construction of structures like Koothambalam/Audito-

rium etc. by Schools/Institutions teaching Kalaripay­

attu & traditional art forms of Kerala.

v. Institutions teaching surfing, skiing, gliding, trekking

& other tourism related activities.

vi. Exclusive handicrafts emporia (approved by the state/

central Department of Tourism.).

313

However in this notification it was also made clear

that the Hotels within the Corporation limit of Trivendrum,

Cochin & Calicut will not be eligible for investment subsidy.

But they will be entitled to the other benefits provided by

these orders. Those ingredients which are getting any form

of subsidy from any other department of the State Government

will not be eligible for subsidy under this scheme. A committee

consisting of Additional Chief Secretary to Government(Chairman),

Secretary to Government (Industry, a member) & Director of

Department of Tourism (Convenor) was constituted to check

the applications seeking benefits under the scheme.

Inadequacy of accommodation is felt in star class as

well as in economy class hotels. About 20 % of foreign tou­

rists prefer the five sta~ category. The impression is that

this is the class which makes tourism industry. Both the

government as well as the private sector have a wrong notion

that only huge concrete structures make five star grandeur.

During survey many foreign tourists responded that 'rather

than concrete monsters for which we don't have come to India,

we would like to have traditional Kerala style structures with

five star facilities or even ordinary facilities inside them!

Many experts from K.I.I.T.S. are against the overemphasis on

Five-star growth. They commented that most of the tourists

who come to Kerala are keen on becoming one with the natural

314

environment in the country side & beaches. They would like

to stay in small cottages, villages or thatched sheds which

facilitate interaction with the scenic splendour of Kerala.

The 'Spices Villages' at Thekkady & 'Surya Samudra' at Kovalam

prove the point. The Spices village has thatched huts, Surya

Samudra has traditional Kerala style houses. Both are seated

conformably in the lap of nature & give the tourists a feel

of the real scene. These dwellings have state of the art luxu­

ries. Now many tour operators alongwith hoteliers are think­

ing to develop such type of accommodation. The star class

tourists can be attracted to such types accommodation. There

is need of marketing this concept.

According to the lnformation provided by Department

of Tourism of Kerala, at present (1991) the number of beds

& the target for 1992-93 was as following :

Thiruvananthapuram

Koval am

Cochin

Guru-Vayur

No. of beds(l991)

7031

1294

8540

4011

~arget(l992-93)

7500

1500

9100

4250

In 1991 there were 261 approved hotels, 432 unapproved

hotels & 76 supplementary accommodation facilities in Thiruvan­

anthapuram. In the same period there were 96 hotels in Kovalam,

which includes five-star, three-star & one star hotel(one each

among hotels).

315

But the basic dilema does not lie in the numbers of

hotels & bed capacity, but in their seasonality. During peak

season there is 100 per cent occupancy, while in other months

many hotels are closed. For example during Summer & Monsoon

period hardly 10 hotels (out of 96) are functioning. So it

becomes a seasorial job for locals.

As the occupancy rate of hotels show & as the hotel

tariff rate of different months show that in June-July the

rooms remain vacant due to hot wet season. In March, April

August & September may be considered as slender months. But

thereafter the seasons come when there is 100 per cent occup­

ancy. The popular-cuisine in hotels are Indian(mostly South­

Indian dishes), Chinese & continental. Many hotels try to

arrange some types of entertainment such as classical dance,

music, indoor games etc. Some hotels provide demonstrators

for Yoga & meditation. Most of the hoteliers get their guests

by travel agents & auto-taxi drivers. Some hotels have got

government aid also. Many of hoteliers believe that the

laws & regulations related to tourism are helpful for growth

& promotion of hotel industry & tourism.

The climograph of Thiruvananthapuram shows its climatic

limitation, however, the Kerala Government has tried to extend

the seasonality by organising several festivals such as Nisha­

gandhi dance festival, Elephant festival, tourism week etc.

It is supposed that despite climatic vigorousity it will

attract more tourists.

\

316

Other Facilities

In the abstract of Government of Kerala in which

Tourism is declared as an industry, several other concessions

were given to other sectors of tourism industry. Concessions

are given on the construction of Amusement Parks & Recreation

Centres approved by the Government. Construction of Ropeways

at tourist centres, establishment of Ayurvedic Centres with

tourism potential were also facilitated with concessions. Gover­

nment also provided concessions on the purchase of luxury

cars, coaches, boats, aircrafts etc. by the Tour Operators

approved by the State/Central Department of Tourism. Building

of traditional types of boats like Chundan, Iruttukuthy, Veppu,

Kettuvallam & House boats were also encouraged under this

scheme.

As far as the surface transportation is concerned, it

is well developed in this small state. The length of metalled

road is 1.06 lakh Kms. , out of which 843.5 Kms is the National

Highway which connects it with Banglore & Tamil Nadu. The

Railways are extended over 1097 Km. But Kerala is famous for

its backwaters (Kayals) & waterways provide 1900 Kms. long

passage through lush green surroundings. Besides all these

the coastal beach with a length of 575 Kms. connects Kerala

with other states of India & other countries abroad.

317

However, from the point of view of tourism, the most

important means of tourists arrival is the Airways. The

International tourism is hampered lergely because of limited

air travel facility; Trivendrum is declared as an International

airport, but no foreign airlines operate on the route, though

it lies en route to Colombo & Maldives. The out bound Inter-

national flights are largely confined to the Gulf countries,

Sri Lanka & the Maldives. Air India has been permitted to

operate S bring its International passengers directly to Tri­

vendrum. Chartered flights were being started some time ago

from Europe, but soon it was stopped because of objections

raised by an Indian-air travel agency.

After the publicity by the magazine 'Times' from London

some trips were organised from Europe. Now the 'Queen Elizabeth

-II' has made a scheduled stopover in Madras 2 The recent

liberal charter policy will also help in boosting the number of

tourists in this sector. However there is need of more direct

flights from major International capitals, especially European

cities to Kerala, at least once a week. Some special flights

can also be arranged to bring a large number of rich western

& oriental (specially the Japanese) tourists who visit Sri

Lanka. All these steps will help in achieving more tourists

to this state.

318

PLANNING FOR TOURISM

Since the inception of planning era in Kerala, the

importance of tourism was recognised, but it could not get

its proper share. The Table 5.2 shows that in first plan no

outlay was provided to the sector of tourism. In second plan

it got meagre amount, that was less than one per cent of total

outlay. One of the reasons for this small share was other

priorities of state government. But it also reflects lack

of interest of state government in this sector.

Plan

1

II

III

Annual Plans

1966-69

IV

v

Annual 1978-80

VI

VII

TABLE-5.2

KERALA

Tourism Sector Outlays in the Five Year Plans

Total outlay

(Rs.in Crores)

30.03

87.01

170.00

140.82

288.40

425.58

Plans 413.69

1500.00

2100.00

Outlay to the tourism Sector

(Rs. in crores)

0.13

0.50

0.31

0.50

0.71

1.30

6.75

9.00

Outlay to the Tourism Sector as a per centage of total outlay

0.15

0.29

0.22

0.19

0.17

0.31

0.45

0.43

KEAALA PLAN ALLOCATION for- To~RJsM SEcToR

10

PLANS

319

10

-J ~

o7 ~ ,._ 0 t­

Q(, ~

~ o.s -..../

0: 0

()"' t

OlJTLA't'

.... (f)

Fl IN CROR£ C3 IN PER CENT AGE

SOURC£: D.O. T., K£RALA

320

For proper planning, so far no detailed study was

conducted on the tourism industry in Kerala. Though several

master plans have been formulated from time to time. They

mainly concentrated· on the development of travel circuits

transport & accommodation facilities. Among such studies

special mention may be given to the studies of Prof.M.V.Pylee,

former Vice-Chancellor of Cochin University & A.C.Jose,

the former speaker of Kerala Assembly & the Chairman of the

estimates committee of Assembly.

During 1986-87( December,l986 to February, 1987), the

Department of Tourism, Kerala conducted a tourist traffic sur­

vey in order to estimate tourist flows through national high

ways. The Department has also conducted a hotel survey(Feb.­

March, 1987). Other studies also concentrated on transport

& accommodation facilities.

Now Kerala Tourism Development Corporation has compai­

gned Kerala as 'Gods own Country'. The Tourism -calender of

Kerala begins with Onam, the harvest festival occurs in August

September. The State Government now celebrates it as 'tourism

week'. The K.T.D.C. has published a calender of the events

for the next five years to help tour operators planned trips.

In 1991 over 5,000 artists participated in various programmes

organised at 22 venues during tourism week.

321

After Onam Kerala celebrates six months long Nrithot-

savam, from October. Dance programmes are organised by the

Tourism Department at weekends simultaneously at two venues-

the Kanakakunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram & the Askok beach

resort at Kovalam. With the participation of some of the

biggest maestro in classical dances, it is turning to be

the country's biggest dance festival. The average daily attan-

dence has been over 1500 including 600 foreigners in 1991.

In January 17, 1991 the first biggest 'Gajamela' was

started in Thekkinkadu Maidan at Trichur with 101 elephants.

The decorated elephants with multicoloured parasols & umbrellas

were giving fantastic scene. The atmosphere was full of music,

dance with sounds of Panchavadyam & other traditional per-

cussion music. It began with Ganapathi homam at Vadakkunnatha

temple. Thousands of domestic & foreign tourists came to see

3 this spectacular elephant march. Recently (1992) the Union

Government has cleared a project of Rs. 1000 crore to develop

the Sea Shore at Bakel in North Kerala, 18 Km •. from Kashargod.

There is an old fort stands majestically like a mightily pro-

tector of the unspoiit charm of the coconut palm-fringed sea-

shore. At 300 feet above sea level on 30 acres of hilly land

the Bakel fort is biggest in Kerala. The Rs. 1000 crore pro-

ject envisages the development of an airport(either a new

one or upgrading the Karippur airport), highways, five-star

322

hotels, modern communication facilities, motels & Yatri Niwas.

The central & state governments will provide the basic infras-

tructure. Other attractions of place are secret caves, wells

& weapons, a 50 feet high piller, a watch tower used for obser-

ving the movements of enemy warships. The British had also

realised the resort potential of the fort & they established

a tourist banglow in it in 1909.

A conference was organised by Kerala Institute of

Tourism Studies on May 11-13, 1989 on the theme of 'Perspec-

tive in Promotion of Tourism in South India'. Tamil Nadu,

Lakshdweep & Pondicherry with the representation from Air

India, Indian Airlines, Indian Railways & Vayudoot etc. In

this conference five new circuits were identified for promo-

tion f . 4 o tour1sm. Among them one circuit was constituted of

Cochin-Alleppy-Kottayam/Thekkady/Madurai/Madras. It largely

covers Kerala with Tamil Nadu. Another package has been

developed by government of Kerala, which consists of visit

to the tea plantations in Munnar & historic place(e.g.Synagogue,

Dutch cemetry etc.), a cruise on the backwaters & a look at

boat race.

In the week of Onam, Kerala's most important festival-

Snake boat races & water carnivals are organised at Arunmula

on the Pamba river in the Kuttanad region, at Payipad near

Quilon & Thayathangadi near Kottayam. Now most famous is the

3·23

'Nehru Trophy Boat Race'at Alleppy, which takes place each

year on the second saturday of August.

Government is also anxious to make the people cons -

cious of Tourism phenomena. To educate the society at large

about the socio-economic benefits of tourism & to creat the

right kind of approach to it, the government has tried to make

tourism a social movement. Tourism clubs have been set up

in colleges & lectures are also organised on tourism. It has

been proposed to organise some travelling exhibition on tou­

rism.

Regarding the importance of service sector, opinion

polls among tourists are planned to encourage better service.

The motive behind these polls is to select the best auto-rick­

shaw/taxi driver, bearer, receptionist & guide. K.T.D.C. is

promoting all aspects of tourism; recreational, cultural,

social, beach, wildlife & adventure tourism with motivation

to gear up 'body,mind & soul tours'.

As far as the marketing of the product is concerned,

some scholars of Kerala Institute of Tourism Studies have

focused on three new strategies, they are Geographic, Demo­

graphic & Psychographic market orientation. Geographic market

orientation include the destination of tourists & their stay.

Demographic market orientation considers the age, sex, level

324

of education & the income distribution of tourists. Psycho­

graphic market orientation concentrates on the motivations,

interest, hobbies, responsiveness to advertising & propen­

sity to travel. Tourism marketing is complicated function

due to the dichotomy between ~pply and demand. Supply is

inelastic as considerable fixed investment is required to

expand it & highly trained manpower is required to operate

it. It cannot be adopted quickly to demand variations.

Regarding the marketing policy of government(par­

ticularly Kerala Government) different opinions were put

forward by different travel agents& tour operators. S.P.Dutt

(Air India's Commercial Manager ,Tourism) has put optimis­

tic view, 'Kerala will become popular on the strength of

its marketing blitz alone as its destinations are exciting'.

The spokesman of K.T.D.C. has also said in same manner,

'We decided to utilise existing infrastructure to its full

potential & promote Kerala as the original tourist destina­

tion'. But Gulam Naqshband of Sita travel is nqt satisfied

with present situation, as he stated, 'The awareness level

of Kerala had been very low'.

Som• travel agents & operators feel that Kerala till

now got little exposure in international tourism markets.

Certainly central & state authorities are responsible for

it. They feel that lack of adequate infrastructure & poor

325

services still deter the tourists, while most are unaware

of Kerala as an attractive spot because of poor projection

in the international tourism markets. For this poor situ­

ation the local tour operators blame that both central

government & private sector tourism people in North India

are anxious to promote their part of the country & Goa. In

1991, the Visit India Year, the state was not included in

a single travel circuit in the directory published by the

central tourism department. Tamil Nadu was mentioned in

eight circuits & Karnataka in seven. Kerala is mentioned

only in the 16th circuit as a route to destinations in

Tamil Nadu's circuit.

The travel agents & hoteliers of Kerala feel that

there is need of an aggressive merketing to be launched

exclusively tourism. But this is not easy. Till very

recent years, Kerala was considered as peaceful place, but

after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, there was a long

period of disturbance. Now time to time tensions/riots have

become common feature such as the clash between islamic

Sevak Sangh & Rashtriya Sevak Sangh. Some bloodsheds took

place during 'Kar Seva in Ayoydha, 1992', Kovalam March

(May 9 1 1992) by B.J.P. workers against Kashmiri migrants

(whom they alleged that they are engaged in drug trafficking

& supporting militant activities)5

, after murder of five

members of r.s.s. etc. Some time ago a foreign woman tour

operator was molested at Kovalam, all these incidents give

326

very bad name to the region/state & India. The foreign

mass media project these features in very distorted style.

So it is not easy to make a dent in such hostile image.

During Visit India Year a provision of Rs.41 lakh

was funded to Department of Tourism for an intensive compai-

gning. but large chunk of this amount was absorbed in

conducting festivals like Nisha-gandhi dances, Gajamela,

Tourism week & Boat races. In recent world tourism market,

Kerala did not have even a stall.

However, various steps of state & union governments

are getting positive response from bot~India as well as

abroad. Various festivals & fairs have lengthened the

period of tourism.

'.

"""'*· . ' ·~.

327

A Profile of Domestic Tourism in Kerala

f it is not possible, even then it is very diffi-

cult to count the exact numbers of domestic tourists

in Kerala. There are several points of entry, several modes

of transportation through which the people enter into Kerala

e.g. Railway~' Roadways, Airways & Waterways.

Now the question arises for what the people from

other parts of India are coming to Kerala? What are the

main motivations which pull them to Kerala? There can be

several types of motivations : such as recreation, beach,

wildlife, adventure, social, cultural etc. For assessing

the main motivations to visit Kerala, one should observe

the main attractions of Kerala. Some of the attractions

are common to other states, particularly to the coastal

state, e.g. the sea coast with dense palm trees & dense

vegetation, lush green high mountains on the eastern side.

Except the backwaters, much of these physical features are

more or less common to other regions. Climatically, for

' a long period of year, particularly the summer and monsoon

seasons are period of sultry-hot-wet-sweating-very uncomfor-

table conditions. So it is not favourable for tourists to

visit coastal Kerala. It is proved by the climograph of

Thiruvananthapuram & the occupancy rate of hotels in differ­

ent months of year. So for long duration the hill stations

328

such as Munnar & Thekkady are attractive for tourists. How­

ever, the importance of natural beauty cannot be ignored

which is plentiful in Kerala.

The main attraction for Indians in Kerala are socio-

cultural in nature. There are many important temples in

Kerala of religious importance6 , which were outcome of great

Hindu renaissance spearheaded by the Advaita philosopher

Sankaracharya & the phenomena of the Bhakti cult which led

to the growth of Shavaite & Vaishnavaite movements. There

are about a dozen Cave temples in the state, clustered in

South, Central & Northern parts. The main temples are

Kaviyoor(north-east of Thiruvalla in Alleppy district)Kottakal

(on T~ivendrum-Kottayam Central road in Quilon dist.)Thri­

vikramangalam & Padmanabhaswamy in Trivendrum, Bhagwati in

Kodungalloor, Vadakkunnathan (shiva) in Trichur, Shree Shankara

at Kalady, Guruvayoor (Trichur) etc. Each of these temples

are maintaining their own peculiar traditions from centuries.

Different fairs & festivals attract a large number

of people, these are Onam, a festival of great zeal & festi­

vity when King Bali comes on yearly visit (as it is believed)

is celebrated after autumn harvest. Pongal is celebrated

on 14th January. There is great elephant show in January,

snake boat race in August etc. are great attractions. Now

329

government has started six month long Nrithotsavam in which

dance programmes are organised by Tourism Departments at two

vanues : Kanakakunnu palace in trivendrum & Ashok beach resort

at Kovalam which is turning into country's biggest festival,

attended in large number by both Foreigners as well as Indian

. 7 tourists.

In October '92 on the occasion of closing ceremony

of SAARC festival, Thiruvananthapuram was crowded not by

Indians only , but foreigners too. The following table shows

the number of domestic tourists over the years.

TABLE-5.3

Domestic Tourists Arrival in Kerala

Years Domestic Tourists Years Domestic Tourists

1985 3,38,776 1989 6,34,248

1986 4,23,756 1990 8,66,525

1987 5,10,619 1991 9,48,991

1988 5,82,050

Source: Department of Tourism, Kerala.

The table shows an increasing trend in the number

of tourists over the years. In begining there is a gradual

increase, but the growth between 1989-90 is phenomenal. In

a period of about five years the growth is three times, which

is an exceptional growth. The credit for this growth goes

to the strategies followed by state & central departments of

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1

0

KERALA DoMESTIC ToURISTs 1\RRIVALS

1915 '' n u YEARS

330

--., 90 91

SOURCE: D. 0. T. KcRALA

331

tourism. Particularly in recent years, there has been a

trend to south India due to disturbances in north Indian

traditional destinations. Jammu & Kashmir is disturbed &

the carrying capacity of Himachal Pradesh & U.P. Himalaya

is not enough to cope up with the indeasing tourists in

limited facilities. So now the north Indians are more

interested to visit south India which is culturally very

rich. Parts of Andhra Pradesh is disturbed by Naxalites &

Tarnil Nadu by LTTE, so western states are supposed to be more

peaceful destinations.

The average stay of domestic tourists in past two

years has been 3 days. In the absence of availability of

data of different states, it is very difficult to make any

comparison or to draw any conclusion. But one can say such

small duration can not be of 'excursionists', i.e. there is

dominance of such people who are interested in visiting

temples, museums, art galleries & in watching few fairs &

festivals. This conclusion seems sound on the basis of

following two tables :

TABLE-5.4

Tourists Arrival in Kerala

Place

Koval am Trivendrum Cochin Thekkady

1986 Forei n

44,626 6,215

34,488 10,238

Domestic

34,0467 389,710 543,158

79,654

39,529 12,287 27,013 10,213

Domestic

511.549 4,59:110 4,6-d,073

87,714 '

332

TABLE-5.5

Tourists Arrival in Kerala

. Place 1989 1990 1991 Foreign Domestic Foreign Domestic ~reign Domestic

Koval am 40,807 75,621 40,674 76,683 40,189 83,814

Guruvayoor X X 30 812,201 27 1037077

Source: Department of Tourism, Kerala

The figures show that in Kovalam, which is a sea

beach the difference between domestic & foreign tourists is

not as much as in the case of other places. This difference

is greatest in Guruvayoor which is a religious place. In

1986 the number of Indians was less than foreigners in

~ovalam. In 1987, it grew substantially. So after an obser-

vation of available data one can say that there is dom.inance

of socio-cultural tourists among Indian tourists in Kerala.

Foreign T.ourists in Kerala

The state has remained in the contact with foreign

countries for long time. But in terms of modern tourism

Kerala has not got its proper share in tourist market. Now

the central & state governments are giving proper attention

to saie it. Kerala has veried attractions for all age, sex

& religion's people.

Year

1985

1986

1987

1988

·333

TABLE-5.6

The Foreign Tourists Arrivals in Kerala

No.of Fnreign Tourist !Year No. of Foreign Tourists

42,347 1989 62,952

50,841 1990 66,139

51,816

52,083

1991 69,309

Source:Department of Tourism,Kerala.

The table shows a substantial growth in the number

of tourists. The growth in the year 1986,1989, 1990 & 1991

over previous years seems phenomenal. But the share of state

to total tourists arrival in India is very low, only five

per cent. The main reason behind this factor is lack of

professionalism in the marketing, as the professionals say,

It is already mentioned that Kerala is mentioned in only one

planned circuits of 'New action plan'. So Kerala is not

getting its due position. The figures for average stay is

available for two years. It was 14 days in 1990 & it became

17 days in 1991. Though it will be too early to draw any

conclusion, we can say that it will attain the national

average. Earlier it was lower. This is a satisfactory trend.

Following table shows country wise distribution of foreigners.

KERALA FoREIGN TOURISTS ARRIVALS

ISIS •6 t7 !I IS 50 ''

YEARS

334

Source : D.O. T. KeJ"ala.

KERALA.

FoREIGN fouRISTS BY CouNTRY

12 r--

'

r--

1--

1--

r-r--

I--

-~ -

2 f--1---

r-1--

0 .. U.Y,.. CAN U.K. GER. FRA ITAlY .JIJ¥.N

Na.tzonttlity

335

B 1989

1990

Sou7'Ce ; D. 0. T. K er-ala.

Year

1988

1989

1990

336

TABLE-5.7

No. of Foreign Tourists according to their Place

of Origin

U.S.A.

3930

4786

3515

Canada U.K.

1095 5989

1587 9971

1397 11864

German

6947

8590

7740

France Italy Japan

3987 3678 1635

5392 4096 2158

4282 3918 2087

Source:Department of Tourism, Kerala.

The table shows that the share of American countries,

viz. U.S.A.& Canada-is less than most of European countries.

The table also shows that the number of tourists was lower

in 1990 than previous year in all countries except for U.K.

The main reason behind this factor can be the contemprory

tense situation in Gulf countries, due to seization of Kuwait

by Iraq, then gathering of Euro-American forces for 'opera­

tion desert fox' & subsequently the threat of Saddam Hussain

to allied countries to face the consequences. Tourism season

in Kerala is largely confined to winter months, so their

arrival was exceptionally low. The figure for 1991 is not

available, in which first part of year has also seen lowest

ebb due to gulf war. However in the second half of year

the tourism industry got mormalcy.

During tourism week, celebrated on August 23-29,1991,

K_OVALAM BEACH RESORT

lAI<SHADWffp 5EA.

NOT TO SCALE

337

338

the presence of foreign tourists in four destinations was

recorded as following : Trivendrum-785, Kovalam-984, Cochin-

936, Allapuzha-298. The table 5.4 & 5.5. shows that the

foreigners come mainly for recreational purposes. That's why

their number was highest in Kovalam, Cochin, Thekkady etc.

Their presence in Trivendrum is not much. This clearly ref­

lects that tourists prefer to reside in Kovalam rather than

the capital which is only 16 Km. far from it. Cochin is main

harbour from which the tourists depart for Laksdweep, so it

also gets substantial number of tourists. Figures during

tourism week also show that the tourists visited Kovalam,

Cochin, Trivendrum the most.

Some analysis of foreign touiists are based on

questionnaire & information by D.O.T., Kerala concentrate on

Kovalam. That is discussed in the following section.

Kovalam Beach Resort: A Case Study

Kovalam is one of the best beaches in the country.

The golden sands stretched for a couple of kilometres. Its

crescentric curves are terminated by large masses of rocks

jutting into sea. Tall palm trees form a lush green back­

ground. The azure blue-green & blue sea to the west are

endless watermass. The huge waves breaking the blue-green

surface with white foams. The waves are countless.

339

It is the best place for leisure. The environment

is slow & easy. It is best for sun-soaked vacation. There

is no historical monuments to see. So one has just to spread

a mat on the sand & relax. When heat gets unbearable, the

person should walk into the sea & dive into the big waves.

The food articles available on sea front are also

unique, from fish & chips to prown spring rolls-Indian-Chinese

& continental. Besides there are famous 'Papaya ladies' who

sell delicious fresh fruit, coconut, pineapple, oranges, papaya

etc.

in many cottages there are facilities of massage, herbal

care, yoga & meditation. So in this beach a tourist forgets the

concept of time. He is satisfied with the products of Kovalam

beach. At present the number of beds was 1294 in 1991. It

was supposed (target) that it would be 1500 beds in 1992-93.

TABLE-5.8

Tourists Arrival at Kovalam

Foreign Indian

1986 44,626 34,046

1987 39,529 51,549

1989 40,807 75,621

1990 40,674 76,683

1991 40,189 83,814

10

2

KOVALA M TOURISTS ARRIVALS

340

TOURISTS

r=l INDIANS

CJ I=OREIGNERS

SOIJRC£; D.O. T. KERALA.

341

The figures show that there is a slight decline or

stagnation in foreign tourists arrival in Kovalam. The reason

can be lack of proper professionalism in marketing of the

beach. Simultaneously some other beaches are also developed

in last few years such as Varakala, Kappad & Bekal. The den­

sely populated beach with declining facilities may also be

one of the reason. However, the average stay is 17 days which

is near to national average. Surprisingly the number of

Indian tourists has grown very fastly. One of the reasons

may be the disturbances of northern destinations have diverted

the tourists to south.

According to a survey conducted by D.O.T. Kerala

shows that main motivations which attract the foreigners to

Kerala are : Natural beauty-43 %, Beaches-37%, Culture-9 %

& other purposes as business-11 %. Thus the combination of

natural beauty & beauty of beaches are the main attractions.

Though state government is arranging cultural activities

such as elephant show, boat race, tourism week etc., but

they have not resulted so far. The beaches visited by tourists

are Kovalam-100 %, Varkala-13 %, Kappad-0.5% & Bekal-0.1 %.

Now a days tourists do not come only for leisure,but

there is an increasing trend in participation in water sports.

About 62 % tourists participate in different water based

10 r <.!

-~ 8 ~ ....

~ 1 ...........,

6

~ V) - 5 !k: ::::, () t- il

~ 3

0 ~

2

1

0 J

KovALAM MONTHWlSE TOURISTS ARRIVAL

1991

' '

F

'· ' ' ' ' ' ' ', ' '

A t-1 J JW., A

MONTHS

-·/ /

/

0

I /

I

I

I

I

i I

D

10UR ISTS

B INDIANS u fOREIGNt:RS

Sou7'ce; D. 0. T. Kerala

342

J(OVALAM

PARTICIPATlvN Of TOURISTS IN WATER BASED ACTIVITIES

c:n ·" ~ ~ ~ ! J ~

~ 4> .... l ~

.~ ~

~ 1.1. ~ () 1 "

,:. ~ ~ ~~· 4- \f) ·-<:I $ I..J >- ~

f\.CTIVJTIE5

343

:. I -- I

I I I

""·~. I

---=I

344

activities : Among them they prefer: Yatching=46.77%,

Snorkelling= 56.45 %, Wind Surfing = 36.7 %, Catamaran=35.48%

Water Skiing=27.42%, Beach football=l6.13%, Sailing= 51.61 %.

Water sports facilities are available in I.T.D.C. Kovalam

Ashok for catamarans, rowing, power boat, water scooter,

snorkelling, beach volleyball & football. Some other hoteliers

have also started them.

TABLE-5.9

Monthwise Tourists Arrival in Kovalam(l991)

Months Forei ners Indians Months Forei ners Indians

January 5362 8517 July 1709 5824

February 4530 7142 August 2470 6112

March 3455 6732 September 2904 7028

April 2353 6322 October 3751 7763

May 1340 5024 November 4804 8432

June 860 5642 December 6646 9276

Source: Department of Tourism, Kerala. '.

The figures show the phenomena of seasonality, the

seasons affect foreign tourists arrival more than the domes­

tic tourists arrival. The reason is clear, i.e.the main

motivation of foreigners is beach leisure & recreation while

for Indians cultural & religious aspects are also important.

During tourism week (August 23-29, 1991) 984 foreigners

visited Kovalam. So we can say that cultural activities

KOVALAM

FOREIGN TOURISTS BY COUNTRY (1~91)

\0 ,..

I- 'a

1-

1-

2 - I I ~

I I

0 I

,.----

U.K. Gel". FTQ.n( U.S. lt41'1 · Swit3 ~u!>t. J<>fl I~

Natf'fm,a)dy

345

Sl1Ura; D.O.T. }\e'N11a.

346

can lengthen the seasonality of tourism.

TABLE-5.10

Number of Foreign Tourists according to their place of origin:

-1991.

Country No. of Tourists Country No. of Tourists

United 8359 Italy 2205 Kingdom

Germany 6326 Switzerland 1560

France 3997 Australia 1504

U.S.A. 3002 Japan 1331

Ireland 2200

Source: D.O.T. Kerala.

The figures show that 27 % of foreigners are Briti-

shers. Apart from main motivation of recreation many of

them come here for cultural purposes. During survey some

respondents answered that they came to find out some of their

ancestors or old linkages. Now Germans (17%) are also

prefering this place. Kovalam is also a new destination

for Japanese & Australians.

According to the survey conducted by D.O.T. Kerala,

the broad occupational structures of three nations were

found as following:

347

TABLE-5.11

Occupation British German Swiss

Students 26 % 29.41 % 33.33 %

Professionals 37 % 58.82 % 50 %

Others 37 % 11.77 % 16.67 %

Source D.O.T., Kerala.

The figures show that the proportion of youth

tourists ranges from one fourth to one third of total tour­

ists. This is the group which is 'allocentric'in nature, who

needs economic or-budget accommodation, but who really is

interested in fun, adventure & knowledge. So ~here is ample

scope for the development of adventure activities. About

half of tourists are professionals who may be 'mid-centric'

or 'psycho-centric' in nature, who are more interested in

leisure & recreation. So, the planners should also take

care of this class people. They need comfortable accommo­

dation & recreational facilities.

From available data & observed trend Kerala govern­

ment has also focussed on the development of other beaches.

Ashoka group has recently acquired land to build a hotel of

three star category on Varkala beach. On other beach ·

'Kappad beach' central P.W.D. has recently completed the

348

' construction of a beach resort which will be handed, over to

the Department of Tourism. D.O.T. will give this resort to

private sector on contract basis. There is another beach

'Bekal beach' for which the state government has recently

announced a mega project costing around Rs. 1000 crores to

develop the Bekal fort & its surrounding beaches with the

help of central D.O.T. These enthusiastical steps of state

& central D.O.T. show that beach tourism will get prominence

in near future.

Ecological Aspects of Tourism

Kerala is a small state bounded by Eastern highlands

& endless waterbody of Arabian sea on the west. So whole

state is like a single biomass, which behaves like a single

unit • The different elements of ecological phenomena are

interrelated. If land slides from the hills, ~t comes down

to lower plains. Similarly deforestation, land slide, soil

erosion, siltation & floods all are interrelated. So having

a holistic approach the ecology of state must be studied

which will help in understanding the coastal ecology too.

The main human activities on Kerala coast are: small

scale industry, mining of sands, fisheries, refineries, port

activities & recreational activities. The population pre-

ssure on coasts has badly affected the coastal area. At

349

many places the plants are eliminated. The deforestation

has affected the habit & habitaL of animal lives. The

presence of radioactive sands are menace to coastal popula-

tion. The deforestation & mining has resulted in disfigure-

ment & erosion of the coastline. There is a problem of

litter, sewage disposal & fire due to increasing population.

Some of these problems have been discussed in following

headings.

o The Problems of Forest: The total forest cover in the

state is 11,22,520 hectares or 28.89% of the geographical

area. 81.54% o( the forest area is reserve forest,--16.82%

are private forests vested in the government & 1.64 % is

proposed to be made reserve forests. About 50 % of forest

land is under teak plantations. On 21.88 % forest area is

under eucalyptus platation which wa~ meant for industries.

8 In 11.48 % of forest area the vegetation is mixed type.

Thus the state possesses a forest area equal to national a

average & the situation seems satisfactory.

But there are various loopholes in the system which

are adversely affecting the vegetal covering. The problem

has also grown due to replacement of vegetation. There are

plantations of acacias, eucalyptus etc. in plains.

In Quilon, on the bank of the Ashtamudi lak~ there

were mangroves, a threatened species. These were cleared

350

to raise acacia. The roots of the mangroves were in water.

To prevent their regeneration, a retaining wall was cons­

tructed on the banks of lake under the world bank financed

social forestry project. This was done under a scheme for

tourism promotion. This act was repeated at many places on

the coasts where mangroves were existing. In these regions

it was done to check the soil erosion.

An environmentalist, Prof. Ravi of Botany department

(Quilon College)) opposed the administration alongwith his

students. At last Kerala High Court stayed the work & appoin­

ted a Commission of two scientists. The commission reported,

'There is no need to construct a retaining wall on the bank

of the lake. The water may be allowed to come so that the

local vegetation may come up. Acacia, which is an exotic,

does not fit with the local species. Mangroves should be

regenerated in this area.'

Prior to this a great war was fought by environment­

alist against 'Silent Valley Project' in early 1980s. Ultima­

tely the environm~ntalist got the victory.

Besides replacement, other problem is deforestation

.on many levels. About 1200 hectares of forest area are lost

each year due to legal/illegal cutting of trees. various

development projects have also taken toll of large vegetal

351

areas. A big naval base inaugurated by late P.M. Rajiv

Gandhi is expanded over 1000 hectares area in Ezhimala dist­

rict10. It will be Asi~s biggest naval training centre on

the coast. There are many other projects which are in the

process of initiation. One example is some different. The

state government made an agreement with Gwalior Rayon, Mavoor

(Calicut) to supply two lakh tonnes of bamboo & eucalyptus

per annum. The government supplies them at subsidised rate,

just half than market rate while the poor people are finding

it very difficult to get bamboo for hut making 11 •

Other problem is fire. Often fires break out & des­

troy flora & fauna of large area. Sometimes they are natural

due to frictional heat of dry bamboos or plants. But many

times they are man-made due to burning cigaratte buttes, camp

fire or other wise.

One way of preventing forest fire is to cut the

contact or fire lines before reaching the fire, or sometimes

it is done before on set of the dry season. But the corrupt

officials do this in haphazard manner. In 1987, about 40

hectares of Silent Valley Park was destroyed by the park

authority. Some C.P.r. members blamed there is a lobby which

gets benefits from these fires.13

Some are getting

charcoal & some timber which are being cut to prevent the fire

from spreading. The overall impact of such selfishness causes

various ill consequences on flora, fauna & whole environment.

352

o Flood : Kerala is a state of heavy rainfall. It inaugur~s

the rainy season of India. The South-West monsoon bursts into

enormous rainfall. During rainfall flood is very common.

There are many reasons for flood. Besides heavy rainfall,

deforestation causes high rate of soil erosion which is deposited

in natural drainage system & makes them shallow. The result

is that sudden heavy rainfall overflows the banks of channels.

The increase in population has pushed the population to margi­

nal areas, even on the banks of streams which often overflow.

So all these factors result into flood menace.

The people, particularly the farmers & fishermen in

Kuttanad, Idukki & parts of Trivendrum are always facing the

problems. Many lose their lives & animans lives. The crops

are damaged & many houses, buildings & roads are demolished.

The worst scene is in Kuttanad, which is a cluster of tiny

islets, full of canals, lagoons including famous vembanad lake.

When the water level rises, it crosses bunds due to greater

inflow of river water into the lake. Even in no~mal times

drinking water is a problem in the area, but during flood it

gets worse. The Punnamada lake- V@nue for Nehru Boat race

is also flooded. The worst year was 1992, when Kerala faced

the flood menace thrice: during monsoon, in October(lOth onward)

& November (15th-20th). Each of these episodes affected more

than 5000 families, collapsed many houses & tolled hundreds

of lives.

353

o Land Slide & Soil Erosion :The combined effect of defores­

tation & torrential rainfall is severe for Keralites. The

deforestation resulted into denudation of forest areas which

has loose soil structure. After heavy rainfall the loose soil

is washed down from slopes & at many places mass of soil slides

which flattens huts, houses & uproots the trees. In Iddukki

district it affects an average area of two Km. radius. In

1992 during the sudden heavy rainfall (Oct.l0-12) many people

died & more than 4000 families were outstead due to wide land

slide. In November(l5-17th) about 50 persons died due to

cyclonic rainfall besides flattening of thousands of houses.

Sea erosion also is a havoc for coastal dwellers. Many

houses, hutments (made of coconut leaves) are washed away &

collapsed due to roaring waves of angry sea. The beaches are

highly prone to sea erosion because of mining of large quanti­

ties of sands by 'Indian Rare Earths'. At some places the

sea walls were constructed at highly vulnerable_areas, but

they are destroyed in some places.

About 320 Km. out of 575 Km. long Kerala's beach is subject

to severe sea erosion. During monsoon period the soil erosion

is augmented by rough sea water. The worst affected areas are

Poonthura, Panthura & Kottapuram in Thiruvananthapuram district,

Edavas, Thanni & Eravipuram in Quilon district, Thirikkunna­

puzha, Arattupuzha, Punnapara, Thumboli, Anthakaran Azhi &

354

Pollithodu & Nayarambalam in Ernakulam district & Kadapuram,

Eriyad, Perinjanam, Kaipamangalam & Engandiyoor in Trichur

d. . 14 1str1ct.

In monsoon period the backwaters (Kayals) along the

coastline of Kerala separate the mainland from the coastal

tract which becomes longitudinal strip of water logged area.

This narrow strip is thickly populated. The National Highway

& the main inland nevigational system run parallel to the

coastline with only a very narrow belt of low lying lands

separating them from the sea. This strip is subject to severe

erosion during monsoon period. On the hilly side hunqreds

of coconut trees are uprooted & several huts are destroyed due

to soil creeping.

The only permanent method for preventing the coasts

against sea erosion is the construction of sea walls & planta~

tion of grooves, particularly mangroves & other endemic species

of plants. work on these lines were started since the first

plan period. Sea walls were constructed in some vulnerable

areas of the coastline. Sea walls were constructed in more

places & they are in different stages of progress. But as

mentioned earlier, it has created some controvarsies also be-

cause in the areas of mangroves, the walls restricted their

growth. However, the main spirit should be prevention of

coastal region with any of methods.

355

Fishing is one of the main occupations of coastal

people. It .is the livelihood for lakhs of fishermen. Pre-/

viously they were catching fishes with traditional nets on

traditional boats. But gradually they modernised their

fishing equipments. Now the mechanisation led to them a ten-

dency to have maximum catch. They also tend to export fishes

to abroad. This export oriented mechanised fishing has creat-

ed an ecological problem of. the coast of Kerala. Now these

fast depleting natural resources are adversely affecting the

lives of fishermen. Over 800 thousand fishermen on the coasts

of Kerala are facing an intermediate threat dislocation &

paupensm. There has been a sharp decline in marine produc-

tion over the last decade. The introduction of trawlers

causes the erosion of the sea bed, where fish breeding takes

place. The plankton & other plants on which fishes thrive

are also facing the problem of survival because trawlers

erode the sea bed & uproot the flora. In traditional method

the fishes below a particular size were rethrow~ into water.

But in modern method all catches are brought to the board.

Thus such export oriented mechanised fishing has resulted in

the depletion of such a natural resource that was once consi-

dered as inexhaustible.

Air pollution is not as severe problem in Kerala

except for large towns & industrial areas. The state is rich

356

in natural vegetation, surrounded with green plants or blue

water. The diurnal circulation of winds-land breeze & sea

breeze dilutes the air pollution. Even then its bad effect

can be seen in some places where large industries are estab-

lished. The conscious people of Kerala are vigilent on such

issues through various environmental plateforms. A salutary

trend has been provided by the Kerala Government when it ordered

to close down two Gwalior Rayon factories at Mavoor.15

There

were complaints that poisonous gases discharged by these indus-

tries were causing several kinds of chest disease & polluting

the chaliyar river. The intervention of administrators com-

pelled the management to undertake effuent disposal work.

Many similar control devices have been enacted. However,on

coastal areas air pollution seems not a great problem.

0 The Dangerous Sands Sometimes some boons become bane.

We cannot develop beach tourism everywhere, even being rich

with sands. The reason is that the sands are radio-active

in nature. The sands of Kerala & Tamil. Nadu ar~ one of the

world's biggest & richest resources of monazite & other rare

minerals. The 'India Rare Earth' mines about 2.5 lakh tonnes

16 of the mineral sands every year. Earlier the entire mining

was on the beach, sometimes a few metre into the water. Thus

they cut & disfigured some parts of coast. Now mining is

restricted to an area at least 15 metres away from the shore

357

line to protect the beach profile. The mining has led to

depletion of sand. It has deserted many depressions. The

overall impact is the severe erosion of coastal beaches.

A stretch of 160 Km. of beach from Purakkad in

Alappuzha district to Kanyakumari is characterised by the

patches of highly radio-active mineral sands. These sands

are creating hazardous background radiation. This belt is

interrupted by stretches with normal level of radiation. The

radioactive sands have been found in Neendakara, Chavara,

Puthenthura & north of Kellam. In these places the Geiger

counter records an average of 1400 counts a minute, which is

17 more than 10 times the level in other places, such as

Thiruvananthapuram with normal natural background radiation.

The effect of these sands is very severe for local

people. In Alappad the background radiation has caused

sterlity, congenital blindness, deafness, mental retardation.

etc.

According to K.Sundaram of Bhabha Atomic Research

Centre (BARC), Trombay who conducted a cytological & other

studies in the region 18 , 1 the infant mortality rate in the

study population was more than 200 per 1000 live births

whereas the highest recorded rate of infant mortality in

India in the past 60 years was 178 during 1926-30. The

age specific fertility rate of women qetween 40 & 49 was

almost six times lower. 1 Another study was done by

358

Dr. N. Kochupillai & his collegues of AIIMS (All India Ins-

titute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi) in 1976. They found

higher incidence of Down's Syndrome (Mangolism), different

forms of mental retardation & chromosomal abnormalities in

the population due to high background radiation.

After such complaints BARC sent another study team

which reported 'Evaluation of long term effects of high back-

ground radiation on selected population groups on the Kerala

coast.' 19 The report says , 'The analysis of demographic data

indicated no statistically significant differences in ferti­

lity index, sex ratio among off spring, infant mortality

rate, pregnancy terminations, multiple births & gross abnor-

malities among population groups receiving different levels

of radiation exposure •••• It is very likely that parameters

analysed in this study are not sensitive enough to reveal

any differences which are significantly different.'

The reaction of this report was harsh ~mong the

anti~uclear activists. V.T.Padmanabham, an anti-nuclear

activist reacted,' The silica separated from the sands was

not being used to fill the mines areas. The mining caused

sea erosion & the crushing of sands led to the release of

additional quantities of radioactive thoron into the air.

But the I.R.E. had not cared to give jobs or hospital ·facili-

ties to the affected people. The issue is still contraver-

sial.

359

o Law Regarding Constructions on Beaches: The direction

given by central government to states regarding the ban on

all construction within 500 metres of the high tide mark

& now relaxed to 200 metres for beach resorts could not be

observed in Kerala. The simple reason behind this factor

is the dense population of the state. The officials of Chief

Town Planner's Office admitted that the directives has not

been strictly enforced. 20 Even the authorities in Triven-

drum Development Authority(TRIDA) argue that Kerala is a

densely populated state, particularly the coastal stretches.

The people have been settled even before the beaches end.

Even relaxing the ban to 200 metres for beach resorts did

not make much difference at Kovalam. Mr.K.Jayakumar, Direc-

f . .d 21 tor o Tour~sm sa~ , 'There is simply no land available

within the 200 metre zone at Kovalam. There are many repu-

ted groups which would like to put up hotels there if land

could be found.'

There are many unauthorised hotels & buildings at

Kovalam. But the administration seems not much effective

to do anything against it. If the government is enforcing

the 200 metres ban law then it will uproot many of local

enterpreneurs.

The settlements started at Kovalam with a government

KOVALAM BEACH

CONSTRUCTION ON SEA BEACH

1\0VALJ>..M A5HOK BE~H RESORT

360

361

guest house. The India Tourism Development Corporation

constructed Ashok Beach Resort. Thereafter the state

government started Hotel Samudra. Thereafter several hotels

of various sizes sprang out. Among these hotels, only hotel

Samudra is beyond 200 m zone, while Kovalam Ashok lies within

the boundary.

There is Eve's Beach & Hawa Beach on the southern

side of Kovalam. It is protected by high cliffs & veritable

forest of coconut trees. The beach extends up to Vizhinjam

fishing harbour. The whole beach is crowded with huts &

small cottages. _During winter whole beach is crowded with

people.

The paths which lead to main road abound with hotels

& lodging to suit every pocket & taste from concrete structu­

res to thatched cottages. The government is now less worried

about buildings being too close than their conditions, espe-

cially sanitation & hygeine.

pect & licence them.

It is considering ways to ins-

In February, 1990 the Central Ministry of Environment

& Forests reminded the state government about the ban~ 2 'It

has come to our notice that the state government is promoting

tourism by constructing Five-Star hotels & tourist complexes

throughout the state of· Kerala ••••• if the beaches are to

362

be built less then 500 metres from the H.T.L., the projects

should be examined by the Department of Tourism & Ministry

of Environment & then sent for clearence by an Inter ministe-

rial committee headed by Director General of Tourism'. But

this memo is perhaps not functioning, as still many new

hotels are mushrooming. At present there are about 96 hotels

(in 1991) of all sizes & in summer only about 13 of them were

functioning in Koval am.

o Response of Local Residents:"Regarding the study of socio­

logical ecology, questionnaire were responded by the local

residents. The questions were divided into three groups-

physical, social & Economic. This was a random survey which

was carried on at Kovalam. The respondents were Keralites,

from Trivendrum, Cochin, Calicut etc. who use to come to the

place.

Regarding the impact of tourism on physical environ-

ment a majority of respondents were of opinion that tourism '·

has enhanced the scenic beauty of the place. _But whether

tourism has destroyed woodlands/wilderness area ? there was

controversy. Some were of opinion that it has destroyed the

natural vegetation to certain extent while some considered

that deforestation is a natural process & tourism in not res-

ponsible for it. Some people were thinking that tourism has

changed the land use pattern while many thought it unaltered.

363

Most of people observed that tourism has not encroached upon the

the agricultural lands, because tourism is more or less sea­

sonal in character. This was also a reason that they unani­

mously accepted that tourism has not destroyed energy resou­

rces & it has enhanced the ecological awareness among the

people. For environmental degradation the people do not blame

tourists for any pollution. On the contrary many have opined

that tourism has promoted cleanliness & hygiene.

Mostly people accept that tourism has helped in the

rediscovery of lost folk traditions. They believe that

tourism has revi~ed & promoted many fairs & festivals. The

festivals like Onam, Pongal, Snake boat race, Elephant march

etc. have got new celebrity & zeal largely due to participa­

tion, interest & encouraging attitudes of tourists. The pre­

servation & conservation of many old monuments has become

possible due to their touristic importance. Such monuments

include some palaces, art-galleries & many temples. The

funds provided by visitors have helped in their maintenance

& upgradation. The Keralites also believe that the tourism

has encouraged the local arts & crafts. Many artisans would

have left their traditional occupations if they were not

economically supported & encouraged by th~ visitors who show

their int~rest in their crafts. Today many small scale/

village industries, crafts, handlooms & artistic objects are

prepared only for tourists. Thus thousands of people are

engaged in earning foreign exchange.

364

Tourism has some negative impacts also. The influence

of outer world upsets the local customs, religious practices.

It breaks ethnic identity due to modern life values & brings

anarchy in society. On such issues the Keralites responded

in negative i.e. they unanimously opposed any such negative

impact of tourism on society. There are two reasons for

it, first, Keralites are deeply rooted in their cultural

system & the domestic tourists who visit Kerala are also

supportive in nature, i.e. they also often believe the same

sects, religions & beliefs. Secondaly the number of foreign

tourists is low & seasonal. Kerala is a land of out migra­

tion & thousands of people are working abroad. So tourist

factor is not important in bringing social change. The deve­

lopment of beach tourism is enclave like development. The

foreigners prefer to stay at beach resorts (preferably Kava­

lam). They seldom visit other places too, but their presence

is not felt amidst crowded Keralites. However, all believe

that there is increasing inclination towards westernisation

in fashion & life style. But films & other media are more

responsible for it rather than tourism. They believe that

tourism has facilitate a contact with outer world & it has

broadened their understanding & perception.

365

Kerala is a state with highest literacy rate. Is

there any role of tourism in the promotion of education. On

this matter they think that tourism cannot be accredited for

this. It can be a subline or surficial factor.

Some social norms are common for any society, which

may be very uncommon for other society. Such alien norms

can create disturbance in other society, for example the

dresses of foreigners etc. Some Keralites believe that their

activities have disturbed peace in public places, but many

do not support it. Regarding immoral aspects of society such

as crime, moral laxity, drugs, gambling there is some debate,

but maximum people believe that tourism alone cannot blamed

for these degradation in society. That's why they do not

feel that there is any unrest among the people against tou­

rists because so far they have not caused any disturbance

to local people.

On the question of improvement & construction of

local infrastructure, all believe that tourism has certainly

upgraded the standards of buildings of public utility. Con­

struction of roads, sanitation, sewage. water supply, elec­

tricity supply etc. are boosted due to tourism.

Kerala is second densest populated state. The over

population & lack of job opportunity has resulted in large

366

exoduous of people. Today they are spread all over India

& in many parts of world. Tourism is a service industry.

The respondents accepted that tourism has increased job

opportunities for locals. Whether these labourers have been

withdrawn from agriculture sector ? Some believe 'yes'

but many could not decide, as it is very difficult to deter­

mine. But they believe that tourism has provided additional

income. It is true that in many strata of this sector they

are getting low .paid jobs, but this is not making them

frustration, rath~r satisfaction, because it has helped in

upgrading their standard of living. They do not believe that

tourism is exploiting ~he natives, t~ough some hesitatingly

accepted that it has created beggar mentality among them.

They felt that tourism, particularli foreign tourism has

produced developed enclaves where increasing inflationary

trend can be observed.

•.

Thus among these mixing responses one can conclude

that tourism is beneficial in kerala where it will provide

job to local people according to their ability.

367

REPERENCES

1. Abstract, Govt. of Kerala, 11th July, '86, Trivendrum. 2. Varma,N. 'Destination,The South' The Week, March 29, '92,

p.39. 3. Thampi,K.M. 'Kerala' Frontline, April 13-26,'91, p.95. 4. 'Destination Travellers' No. 152, June 1989, Govt.

of India, p. 34. 5. H.T., May 10, 1992. 6. Trivedy,s. 'On a temple Trail' T.O.I. August 4,1990. 7. Thampi,K.M. op. cit. p. 95. 8. Nair,K.P. 'Fire in the Forests', Frontline, Aprill-14,

1989, p. 93. 9. Bahuguna,Sunderlal, 'Kerala:The Green Veneer'

Frontline, April 1-14, 1989, p. 91.

10. Ibid. 11. Ibid. 12. Nair,K.P. op.cit. 13. Neg i. 14. Negi, op. ci~. p.90. 15. Mathew,Roy,'The Buried Wealth',Frontline,Apri~l4-27, '90

p. 118. 16. Mathew Roy, 'The Unsafe Sands', Frontline,April,l4-27, '90,

p. 115. 17. Ibid. 18. Ibid. 19. Gopal Raj,N., 'Kerala : No Ripples' Frontline,

July 21-August 3, '90, pp.98-99. 20. Ibid. 21. Ibid.