A windfall for backwater tourism

By K.P.M. Basheer

KOCHI, DEC. 29. The Prime Minister's visit to Kumarakom is going to be a windfall for the State's tourism department which has of late been pushing backwaters and ayurveda as its USPs (unique selling propositions).

Mr. Vajpayee, who is sojourning at Kumarakom for a week, had been wooed exactly by the backwaters-ayurvedic duo. The Prime Minister's choice of Kumarakom has suddenly catapulted it to media glare and national attention.

The top tourism managers of the State hope that the Prime Minister's visit would be the `best thing that ever happened' to backwaters tourism. For, the visit would generate immense interest in the backwaters among the would-be tourists across the country. Until recently, the tourism industry had focussed

its attention on foreign tourists as far as the backwaters were concerned. However, the recent efforts at selling Kerala by the Government agencies as well as private ones have created an awareness of the backwaters in other parts of the country.

The tourism authorities have realised the potential of the substantial New Upper-Middle Class emerging in the nation's urban centres. This class, spawned by high-paid professions like Information Technology and business management, has disposable money as well as a have-money-will-spend attitude. Some private entrepreneurs and hotel chains now offer tours tailor-made to this class and the `backwaters experience' is a key element of the package.

The director of tourism, Dr. Venu V., points out that with the opening of the waterside amenities centre at Alunkadavu near Karunagappally, the Ashtamudi lake could attract more visitors. The Alunkadavu centre is the first of a series of such

facilities along the State's major waterways. Three boat terminals are being built at Kumarakom, Thanneermukkam and Alappuzha. These terminals would give a fillip to boat services on the Vembanad lake and thus promote backwater tourism.

Because of the sophisticated accommodation and other facilities created by the private hospitality industry and the media exposure, Kumarakom has of late emerged as the jewel of the backwater tourism, though Alappuzha and its watery neighbourhoods offer the richest variety of experience on and off water. Arundhati Roy's novel `The God of Small Things' has prompted a large number of foreign tourists to visit the resort.

However, the village is still a rich man's resort as most of the accommodation available there is owned by certain star-hotel chains and expensive resorts. Lack of cheap accommodation is the biggest hurdle for attracting budget tourists, particularly from upcountry, to Kumarakom. The credit for making the village a resort village goes mainly to private enterprise.

The brimful Vembanad lake, said to be the largest freshwater body in Asia, is the key attraction in Kumarakom. The lake is amenable to a variety of water sports but as of now there is hardly any amenities for them. The two lakes, Ashtamudi and Vembanad, are the backbone of the backwater tourism.

The winning combination of backwaters and ayurveda, with certain value-added stress-relieving tricks for the corporate clientele, are the main fare of the resorts along the backwaters. It is not the curative aspect of ayurveda, but the rejuvenative one that is focussed on. A range of oil baths and massages, some of which are not strictly ayurvedic, are on offer.

The rejuvenative ayurveda has came out of its stingy, oily and dark cellars to the airconditioned, well-lit and sophisticated chambers, thanks to the efforts of the resorts and new-generation ayurvedic centres. It has now acquired a zanny, sexy image. Kerala Tourism's discovery of ayurveda as the State's brand equity was a turning point in ayurveda's popularity among tourists.

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