THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A beach that is alarmingly receding every passing year. Add to it, the stiff competition from destinations in Sri Lanka and Maldives. With odds heavily stacked against Kovalam, re-branding itself seems to be the only viable option for the famed beach destination to retain its toe-hold in the international tourism map.
“It’s high time that Kovalam changed its image as a beach destination alone. Our strengths are ayruveda and yoga. Combing these elements, Kovalam should be re-branded as a wellness destination,” said Prasanth TV, secretary of District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC).
Marketing Initiatives
According to Tourism Department officials, macro level marketing initiatives abroad should make way for the micro mode. Instead of marketing Kerala as a whole, each destination and its attractive features should be promoted separately.
“Right now, marketing strategy revolves more on a philosophical note. The distinct identity of our individual destinations should also be the focus of the marketing initiatives so that visitors are aware of what the state has to offer which others do not,” said a top official.
Kovalam As Hub
Along with re-branding Kovalam as a wellness destination, efforts should also be made to upgrade it into a major tourist hub, said E M Najeeb, president, Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry. “Ponmudi, Poovar and Neyyar Dam should be developed as side attractions to Kovalam so that tourists can go on short trips to these spots during their stay in Kovalam.”
Also, issues such as waste management, drinking water problem and stray dog menace should be addressed to win back tourists, he added.
Keeping Destination Clean
According to Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, the incompetency in managing waste poses a great challenge to tourism development in the state. He said that Sri Lanka, which has geographical features similar to Kerala attracts more tourists since that country gives priority to cleanliness.
The Tourism Department’s ongoing Green Carpet initiative, primarily to keep tourist destinations clean, has begun to show results on the ground. Stakeholders in the tourism industry feel that the momentum of the initiative needs to be kept alive throughout the season.
Under the Green Carpet initiative, extensive cleaning drives have been undertaken at the capital’s tourist destinations much ahead of the start of the tourist season. “It is encouraging to see hotel and resort owners backing us wholeheartedly in the Green Carpet initiative as they have realised that keeping the destination clean is a prerequisite to attracting tourists,” Prasanth said.
[On Wednesday, a reality check on the tourism scenario in Varkala]