Kerala
wooing Goa's foreign tourists
Sandesh Prabhudesai
6 February 2003
'God's
own country' - Kerala - is presently eyeing for another heaven
- Goa - to woo its high-spending tourists, mainly the foreigners.
"We are not interested in backpackers", states
Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Kerala tourism director. He was down
in Goa with a team of tour and travel agents to meet their
counterparts here.
After conducting a detailed survey and creating a database
of the tourism scene in Goa, the meet has proposed to work
out a dual Goa-Kerala package, to offer to the international
tourists.
The focus, obviously, is on offering what Goa cannot.
In terms of tourist attractions, it is mainly the backwater
retreats and the ayurvedic treatment - both rejuvenative and
therapeutic, hill stations, wildlife sanctuaries and ethnic
tourism, but not the beaches.
In terms of infrastructure, Kerala however boasts about enhanced
facilities pertaining to roads, water supply, eco-system,
sewage and disposable units and convention centres. Goa's
bureaucratic red tapism, lack of political will and absence
of professional attitude has become their advantage.
Knowing its limitations even otherwise, Kerala prefers select
high-spending Free International Tourists (FIT). "Mass
tourism is harmful to the fragile ecology and brings pressure
on facilities and infrastructure", opines Sharma.
Promoting tourism quite aggressively, creatively and in a
professional manner, the tremendous hike in its plan outlay
from Rs six crore in 1994-95 to Rs 85 crore in 2002-03 has
apparently borne fruits for Kerala.
To attract quality tourists coming down to Goa to enjoy its
semi-westernised beaches, the southernmost state is now also
making their travel easy with three international airports
as well as the Konkan railway route.
The Kerala tourism figures indicate almost 11.37 per cent
rise in international tourist arrivals, to the tune of 2.32
lakh, compared to little rise in domestic tourists, around
56 lakh. "It is the highest recorded growth in the last
five years", states Sharma.
Around three lakh foreigners visit Goa every year, from among
around 14 lakh annual tourist inflow. A large chunk of it
comes as a package tourist of charter flights, mainly from
European countries.
Kerala however receives only two charters every week. But
its foreign exchange contribution to the country, states Sharma,
is worth Rs 525 crore. "Our foreign visitor spends around
Rs 2000 per day", he adds.
With private entrepreneurs and financial institutions investing
around Rs 550 crore, this God's own country is now aiming
for consistent growth paradigm.
"Tourism should be purely a private business and government
should only be a facilitator", states Sharma, disclosing
its simple but effective strategy to attain the status of
best-promoted tourism state in the country.
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