Is Kerala heading to a point of no return?
Published February 14, 2011 | 
In case you are on a visit to Kerala then you would be spotting many hoardings with interesting names like Mountain mist, cloud nine, Misty meadows, Green Valley and many many more all along its highways! In case you thought that these were verdant nature parks and forest trails, that Kerala was once famous for, you would be in for a shocking surprise. These are nothing but names of apartments, hotels and home stays that try to lure you with these attractive names, that evoke a Kerala feel!
Kerala was once a land of misty mountains and green valleys; however now a days, all we have are these tasteless concrete structures that have sprang up all along Kerala! For those who are visiting this State after a long gap, this change would be far more evident and distressing. 
Unfortunately, Kerala has become a haven for the land mafias and land grabbers where you can buy a hillock, encroach into the backwaters , fill the fertile paddy fields or even sneak into the fragile eco zones and wild life sanctuaries by greasing the palms of the concerned officials. The cash flushed NRIs and the mass tourist trails have indeed left its impact on the unique ecosystem of Kerala.
As the pressure on the natural resources is on the rise by the day, Kerala has long ceased to be God’s own country. Before we head to a point of no return, we all need to put our heads together to make sure that we preserve the landscape and natural beauty of Kerala, which can only ensure the growth of tourism in future. Let us not put our rivers, lakes and paddy fields for sale, for a few pennies. The need of the hour is sustainable tourism on the lines of Kumbalangi village or Lakshadeep , where there is a clamp down on commercial activity and constructions.
The new visa regulations and the escalating costs have brought in a sharp decline in tourism in Kerala and if we fail to heed to the warning signals, it is only a matter of time before Kerala is pushed into oblivion in the global tourist map.
The earth has enough for everyone’s NEED, not for everyone’s GREED.
Kerala becomes the first Indian destination to win the prestigious award at FITUR
Published January 25, 2011 | 
Kerala Tourism has won the award for the Best International Stand at FITUR, which was held in Madrid, Spain,one of the emerging markets for Kerala Tourism. Held from January 19-23, 2011, this fair attracted many countries from around the world.
Kerala tourism sources said that this is the first time an Indian destination has won this prestigious Award at FITUR, which is one of he largest tourism exhibitions in the world. A commendable achievement by any benchmark, this award will enhance the tourism prospects of God’s own country tremendously.The winner for this Award is selected on the popularity and uniqueness of the design apart from the materials used in making the stand. Colombia and Portugal were the other winners of this Award.
The backwaters of Kerala formed the theme of the award winning stand of Kerala that measured 58.5 sq. m. Designed by Stark Communications Pvt. Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram, this entry from Kerala received much attention in the fair. Chinese fishing nets, country boats and hurricane lamps brought out the bucolic charm of Kerala in this stand, which was made fully with eco-friendly materials. The other participants in the Kerala team included CGH Earth, Pioneer Personalized Holidays, Isola Di Cocco and Travancore Heritage.
Hats off to the envious performance of Kerala in the international platform, whcih has brought laurel from far and wide!
New Year brings cheer to Kerala tourism industry
Published January 3, 2011 | 
An Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) survey has revealed that almost 35 per cent of domestic travellers preferred coastal destinations like Goa, Puducherry,Kerala and Rameshwaram for their holidays. Hotels in Kerala has been recording a massive business during Christmas and New Year with many hotels fully booked months before. The harsh winter in Europe has also proved beneficial for Kerala as many foreigners have decided to spend their holidays in the warm and sunny state of Kerala instead of remaining cooped up in their homes due to the prevailing snow and frost conditions there .
Leh and Kerala have become the best performers in the domestic travel market, replacing the traditional tourist destinations of Goa and Rajasthan. With the Taj property in Bekal finally taking off, Kerala is all set to make it big in the ensuing tourist season. From monsoon tourism to adventure sporting options like white water rafting and hot air ballooning, Kerala is expanding its vistas in tourism and has positioned itself on a strong turf. Going by the trends, 2011 will be a highly successful year for Kerala, fondly called as the land of the Gods, spices and backwaters!
Kerala tourist hotels turn vegan!
Published June 11, 2010 | 
With the steady increase in the inflow of domestic travelers, especially from the cash rich states like Gujarat and Rajasthan, Kerala hotels have come up with a predominantly vegetarian menu to cater to the eclectic tastes of Jains and other sects who are purely vegetarians. Kerala has become a vegetable dishes-preferred tourist spot, shedding its pseudonym of being a ‘meat-eaters’ paradise’.
The tourism industry has come up with an array of lip smacking vegetable recipes to cater to the vegetarian palates of domestic travelers, which made up 10 percent of the total domestic tourist footfalls that was pegged at 7.8 million last year.
“Pomfret fry or beef curry may be the dining nirvana for some travellers, but an ‘only-vegetarian kitchen’ is essential for many Indian travellers,” Kerala Tourism director M Sivasankar told.
The tourism department has asked 500 star hotels to set up exclusive vegetarian kitchens as part of its Dream Season Campaign. KTDC has started serving vegetarian meals in house boat cruises and in the coming days , more operators might join this trend.
The inflow of rich Jain families is equally high. “We are also taking more care to make foods preferred by the Jain community available,” says Paulson Pookkattil, chef in a houseboat.
With the volcano ash in Europe and the British airways strike threatening to bring down the number of foreign tourist inflow in the coming days, the tourism industry is pinning its hopes on domestic tourism, which is on a steady growth track.
Hosting International Kite Festival to promote Kerala Tourism
Published April 20, 2010 | 
Famously known for its beaches, backwaters and wild sanctuaries, Kerala is all set to kick-off a new trend of wooing more tourists by means of an international kite festival that will be hosted starting May 1 at Kappad beach in Kozhikode district.
Apart from India, kite flyers from top 10 countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Kuwait, China, France, UAE and Britain will be seen displaying their talents for three consecutive days that will attract several thousands of tourists from all over Kerala.
Quite popular in Gujarat, Kerala is the second state to host kite festival along with a seafood festival and a cultural fest that will showcase the local art and culture of the state.
Kapad beach, in Kozhikode is the venue chosen for the kite festival, an extremely favorable seashore for flying kites, the beach is known for its history when Vasco da Gama the Portuguese navigator landed here in 1498. This unique kite festival will attract larger crowds and would enhance the Kerala tourism, which had a dull season few months back.
The kites to be in various shapes and sizes, some even huge as two storey building will cost anything from INR 25,000 upwards, the materials for making them would be supplied to those who want it at free of cost.
A classroom session will also be conducted for those who are interested to know more about kite flying and learn about it.
Related post: Get set to fly high!
Kochi gets the first tourist police station in India
Published March 8, 2010 | 
In a bid to make Kerala a safe destination for foreign and local tourists, an exclusive tourist police station has been set up in the heritage zone of Mattancherry. The first of its kind in the country, this will make Kerala more tourist friendly and safe.
Mattanchery, home to the Jewish synagogue and various historic edifices holds an important place in the tourist map of Kerala that draws many tourists from far and wide. The special police station will offer all the facilities that any tourist may require. From assisting foreign travelers to clarifying their doubts on passport and visa and registering complaints and grievances on lost passports and expired visa , this police station has a wide gamut of services- all under one roof!
The police would work in tandem with the Department of Tourism to set up a helpdesk at the station, where the tourists can get route maps and brochures about different tourist destinations in the State as well. In addition, there are facilities for tourists to make booking for boating as well as hiring taxis. The State Tourism Department will soon publish the services of tourism police in all leading tourism journals in the world to ensure maximum coverage and publicity of this novel scheme.
The Police museum will have a rich display of police uniforms, combat weapons and armoury, arranged in chronological order right from the colonial period to the present day. With the advent of the tourist police station, the tourists can look forward to have a hassle free and enjoyable sight seeing experience in Mattancherry and FortKochi , considered as tourist hot spots.
Satan worship at God's own country!
Published March 2, 2010 | Though it might sound paradoxical the truth is that God’s own country is inhabited by devil’s own people who does not seem to care for any human values or ethics. To make a few quick bucks or to satisfy their vices, people stoop to any level these days.
Just go through the recent newspaper reports of satan worship, which will surely shock any average malayalee. Though it was something unheard of in this part of the world, it is not the case anymore! These sinister activities being organized by mostly people from other countries take place in posh apartments right at the city centre in Kochi and draws many followers mostly from overseas. Along with black magic, drug peddling and even nude dances for those who wish to enjoy a high during the rituals, the package is comprehensive and comes with a price too! The entrance fee is Rs. 30,000 and prior booking is essential.
Impure blood, urine collected in a human skull, triangle shaped slices of bread etc are some of the things that are being used for the ‘black mass’ which will be held on the 13th of every month. The so called organizers of this black mass fool people by making fake claims that these can solve many problems including financial woes and enmity. On the D day , the door number of the apartment or the proposed venue of the black mass will be changed to 666- the customary symbol of the devil- to make sure that the customers do not stray into other flats! Interestingly, the door number will be changed back to the original building number once the satan ritual is over.
These fraudsters who go all out to hoodwink the naive and the unsuspecting customers might bring bad repute to Kerala and its tourism sector. It could well be with the connivance of the locals who are willing to sell the Kerala brand for an extra dollar or Euro, nonetheless, most of them do not seem to be aware of the dangers and the long term repercussions of bad publicity.. Tourism has always been a thriving business in Kerala and in fact it is the only business that has survived the trade unionism that prevails here! We would be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs by helping people who are engaged in these vicious activities under the cover of Kerala tourism. Anyone listening?
Cochin Carnival – Reviving hopes of a good tourist season
Published December 22, 2009 | 
The tourist season for Kerala was far from impressive this year with a marked drop in the number of foreign and domestic tourists. Most of the tour operators in Fort Kochi are pinning their hopes on the Cochin Carnival for more tourist arrivals in the next two weeks. During the Christmas and New Year seasons, Fort Kochi draws a lot of foreign tourists with most of the hotels and homestays registering near full occupancy. But this year things were bleak and the regular tourist crowd was missing even from the main hot spots like Fort Kochi and surroundings.
Meanwhile the carnival committee is not leaving anything to chance and the efforts are on to make the carnival a big success. Both the sides of roads from Veli to Fort kochi are being decorated with lights and stars to welcome the tourists to the area. This year , a novel competition to select the best decorated and painted house has generated a lot of interest among the local community. A kayaking contest is also being introduced this year. The beach bike race at the Veli ground is expected to bring in scores of biking enthusiasts while the swimmers can vie for the prestigious title in the Fort Kochi-|Vypeen swimming contest. The other attraction of the Carnival include tableaux and the traditional art forms of Kerala.
Additional police forces have been deployed to prevent any untoward instances and street lighting along the beach and the walkways have already been completed. Will the Cochin Carnival bring back the tourist surge in Fort Kochi- the next few days will unravel the answer for this million dollar query!
Are social issues taking a back seat amidst the seasonal fiesta
Published December 3, 2009 | 
With Christmas and New Year round the corner, the first visible clues of the impending celebrations have already started dropping in. The city and its enthusiastic community is gearing themselves to soak up the fun and gaiety. Shopping festivals, arts and craft fairs, food festivals and cake decoration competitions are the latest attractions in the event calender of Kochi.
The shimmering lights bathing the streets, Christmas trees decorated with colorful add-ons and twinkling Xmas stars- everything speaks for the festive mood in the air . Markets hum with avid shoppers who shop till they drop rummaging through the countless stores that offer the latest clothes, tree decorations, cakes, wine and fire crackers.
While people make a beeline in the Spanish food fest and the steak house festivals currently on in the city, I was surprised at the lack of interest shown to the Aids prevention day campaign ( Dec 2) and the International day for disabled persons ( Dec 3), which passed off as low key affairs. While the district administration blames it on the low budget allocation, the lay man quips that they prefer fun and entertainment rather than these complex social issues, which they feel is best left to the administration to tackle. As the blame game continues, Kochi is all set to welcome yet another New year with new hopes and aspirations.
A tree hut with a difference
Published January 13, 2009 | At a casual glance, this tree house might pass off as a chic abode built over a tree to exclusively cater to adventure tourism. However on a closer look, you will be surprised to note that it is an outdoor study room built for the students of Ananda Narayana Memorial Aided Upper Primary School at Krishnagiri in Wayanad. Built using locally available materials like bamboo and hay, this cosy hut has a floor area of 100-sq.-ft and is perched over 50 ft. above the ground. The school kids have given endearing names for their pet project. Some call it ‘Dream Nest’ while others prefer to call it by a more reverie name like the ‘ Palace in the sky . A brain child of the innovative students of this nondescript school, the idea evolved after an enlightening study tour last year to the Kuruva islands, where they were bowled over by the timeless charm of huge trees.
The resources were pooled in from various sources like the Pupils-Parents-Teacher’s Association (PPTA) and the Self Help Group (SHG) of the students of the school apart from others to make this dream come true. After investing a capital of around Rs. 40,000 and two months of labour, the tree house was born, much to the delight of the villagers as a whole. The tree hut is being used as an open classroom for group activities. The tree house features many useful tourist information like the places of tourist interests in the district and maps and drawings of students, which are neatly arranged. Students take rest on comfortable cotton quilts during recess and learn new things from nature almost always.
Now the school is planning to let it out to tourists and an attached bathroom is also being constructed for this purpose. We all can take a cue from this innovative venture and return to nature to enjoy life at its fullest. Striking a subtle balance with nature and its living beings is what holds the key to success in any civilised society. Cocooning ourselves in the ivory towers of fame and money will not bring any lasting solution to the vexed problems dogging the modern world.