.jpg?width=1200)
With Onam only a few days away, Kerala looks toward to attract tourists to witness its festivities. Ahead of this celebration period, Deputy Director of Kerala Tourism Aswin P Kumar KAS spoke to Swarna Srikanth about what all Kerala offers to travel enthusiasts across the globe, the new avenues and projects the state aims to launch soon, and more. Read excerpts below
Your words on Onam 2024.
Onam happens to be the festival of Kerala where people celebrate with harmony for the next 10 days, it's full of fun. It is a family get together and an expression of religious harmony.
My message on Onam is “Be happy, hug each other and then enjoy every moment” because we really don't know what is going to happen next.
What is your favourite dish from Onam Sadhya?
I am a foodie and a sweet lover. Payasam is something I love the most from the Onam Sadhya and the Palada that is prepared with rice and thick milk happen to be my favourite. The Parippu Curry made using lentils and the chips which are part of the meal are also very special to me.
I must say that Onam Sadhya contains the healthiest food ever made and offers a balanced diet with different dishes and tastes. It's purely veg. There are many Kerala restaurants in Mumbai, so one must definitely try the Sadhya this festive season.
Is Onam the period when most tourists visit Kerala?
We are approaching the beginning of the tourism season with Onam this month. Initially, the trend is we see intrastate people followed by tourists from other states visiting Kerala. Then, maybe by December we are expecting more foreign tourists, but obviously, the festival period is like a kick start for tourism here.
With reference to Kerala floods and Wayanad landslide, is monsoon not meant for a Kerala trip?
Not really. The shades of green in Kerala are greatly enjoyed in monsoon. For Wayanad, we have come with a campaign "revisit Wayanad" attracting people from Bengaluru as well as other parts of the country to step into the paradise once again with confidence. Wayanad is safe and with this campaign, we want to tell tourists there's nothing to fear about the weather conditions here. It is safe. Come and experience it, that is what I wish to say.
What are some other key projects Kerala Tourism is working on?
There are many initiatives and developments the tourism sector in Kerala is looking forward to. Two main things we are working on are Biodiversity tourism in Kollam (caravan tourism) focused in Kollam and literary tourism circuit to understand what the North Kerala’s Malabar region is rich in. Also, there are plans to make Varkala and Kumarakom tourist hubs. Varkala which is located in Thiruvananthapuram is a home to beaches and we aim to boost tourism here by offering beach-based activities and events. On the other hand, like Alappuzha, in Kumarakom we would want tourists to enjoy a ride through backwaters.
Can you tell us more about the Digital museum project and when it will open doors for tourists?
Museums are generally boring. At the digital museum, what we intend is to provide them with immersive experiences so that they would understand the history and facts about Kerala and at the same time also experience Kerala. If at all, tourists fail to visit across Kerala, they still get to know about the entire region and what it has to offer in a very impressive way at the museum utilising the AR/VR, the light and sound technology.
The digital museums are expected to open in two places in the capital city which happens to be the one of the largest places people visit because of the Padmabhaswamy Temple. So we have decided that Thiruvananthapuram would be the right location to showcase Kerala’s cultural dynamics.
The coastline that we have, we have got tremendous influence elsewhere from the Arabs, from the Portuguese, from the Europeans and at the same time we have the influence from the Chola, the Pandian. We are having a very different mode of history to showcase upon with these digital museums.
Another digital museum is actually with respect to a very prominent, you know, a very prominent social Renaissance leader in Kerala. The first digital museum is actually on a broad tourism angle, while the second dedicated to Narayana Guru highlights the spiritual significance of Kerala. Both these projects would open for tourists soon, with the Kerala Digital Museum to be opened in mid 2025 and Shree Narayana Guru Digital Museum before this year ends.
From hill stations to backwaters, where does Kerala see a rush of tourists?
The different shades of blue and the different shades of green have attracted people. But dominantly, people travel to Kerala to feel the greenery, enjoy the scenic beauty, go for adventurous treks and more.
Some of the other reasons why people visit Kerala is that it has become a wedding destination with Bekal becoming a very strong place for destination weddings along with Kumarakom due to its backwaters. Also, the blessings of Ayurveda drive people to visit Kerala.
Solo travellers, friends, family - which segment of tourists does Kerala attract the most?
The state is actually offering anything and everything for all kinds of people. Be it you're a solo traveller, if you are coming with a huge group, or wanting to travel to Kerala with family, the state is welcoming everyone and offering them places as per their interests. From hill station getaways to ayurveda centres, Kerala has everything to relax and enjoy. So, we see a mixbag of people visiting Kerala.
However, if they come for a family tour their interests would be to travel to different places, then come back to your hotel and then just have a good sleep. But when the youth come, they often have that particular idea to explore, to do a lot of activities maybe on water, on sky or on land and also taste good food that the state has to offer.
Domestic travellers vs foreign tourists - who drives Kerala Tourism the most?
It is the domestic tourists that count more than the international tourists and, interestingly, post COVID-19 people are travelling within the statetoo. So, Kerala facilitates intrastate interstate as well as international tourists. It's a mix, but obviously when it comes to the revenue aspect, like for any other state, international tourists are the biggest source and they give more of a revenue.
The state aims to cross the 14 lakh foreign visitor count by 2026. The domestic tourist count is already seeing a record surge. As for the first quarter (January-March) of this year, Kerala attracted 50,37,307 domestic tourists compared to 49,36,274 visitors in the corresponding period the last year, registering a 2.05 percent increase.
Interestingly, in Kerala, there are certain places which have got a significant connection to the foreign. Fort Kochi, people from Israel come because of the Jewish connection it carries. Similarly, people visit us from Maldives for the health-related health tourism and then people from Arab also come to Kerala, basically because of Ayurveda and the inherent relationship that the state has with the Middle East. Consierable amount of tourists also travel from USA and UK to explore the green and blue shades of Kerala, this could be due to the ad campaigns and promotions we do.
Is it the government-run train services, the flights or the private cruises that drive tourism in Kerala?
I personally believe that tourism is a sector which is driven by the private players. Unlike other departments or unlike other sectors, tourism can't be driven by the state. The state can only be a facilitator.
How does Kerala Tourism channelise the efforts of reel creators and travel influencers in a way promote its serene destinations?
Yes, obviously, online influencers’ presence in social media has been something which we have acknowledged with meetups and a special event called Kerala Blog Express: It includes bloggers and social media influencers not from India alone but across the globe. We invite them to Kerala and ask them to travel across Kerala from the south to the north, exploring and then understanding the business potential that it has, with which I refer to the hotels, the resorts and various tourist attractions. They are showcasing that at their own channels and at the same time, everything is actually provided by the Kerala tourist so that they travel without any worry.
During the last edition of the Kerala Blog Express, I was also there with these bloggers. We all travelled on one single bus and saw everyone interacting with each other and experiencing the goodness of Kerala together.
With waste management being an issue at travel spots, what’s your request to tourists?
Yes, that's a big big issue, as you mentioned, not just in Kerala, but across India. We are running a campaign called Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam, which is aimed to rebuild Kerala by removing waste. Through strong local self government agencies, we are trying to ensure that the places have to be clean and hygienic and the Department of Tourism is actually spending around ₹10 crore in order to ensure that their destinations are neat.
The pristine nature of the state comes with the beautiful backwater. If you throw one bottle of water, you know that it just pollutes. Also, when you are travelling across the forests, you need to keep a decorum of not teasing them and not littering the forest. Try not to use cigarettes and throw litter around. So, I would tell people, come to Kerala with a sense of respect for nature. That's surely how you will enjoy this place even better.
