KOCHI: On this day, three years ago, i.e. March 23, 2020, the quaint town of Fort Kochi, like everywhere else in Kerala, was hurled into a state of lockdown. While there was little need then to explain the gravity of the crisis looming over the country, not many could have envisioned that the lockdown would stretch as long as it did or wreak such havoc.
Even two years later, in March 2022, when India shook the pandemic inertia off, and Coronavirus became a distant memory, Fort Kochi continued to cast a desolate scene, robbed of its key spice – tourism.
In December, however, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale brought sunshine back. “It served as the catalyst for a sudden tourism boom,” says Isaac Alexander, an art enthusiast and restaurateur. Despite the scorching heat, a sea of people has been pouring into the nearly 180-year-old Aspinwall House, the festival’s main venue, to soak in the grandeur of art. This surge has also bolstered the local economy – primarily, the homestays and hotels, which had been languishing for months.
“Perhaps it is still an aftereffect of the long months of lockdown and isolation, people want to travel more, explore new cultures, and enjoy different cuisines,” says Edgar Pinto, who owns a cream of historic and popular establishments in Fort Kochi.
“This trend has been observed the world over and Fort Kochi, being a top tourist destination, is no different.”Since the announcement of the Biennale, Delight Homestay, one of the oldest homestays in Kerala, has been buzzing with enquiries. “Business is very good,” says Delight’s owner, David Lawrence.
In February, he adds, there was not a single vacant room at the homestay in the very heart of Fort Kochi’s heritage zone. “It’s the Biennale effect,” says David. However, his friends point to his rather enterprising nature and foresight for being able to bounce back with a bang.
In November 2021, when the arrival of tourists seemed a remote possibility, David spent nearly Rs 5 lakh to redo his property. It was a time when most businesses in the region were folding to stem their losses. “I was certain that tourists will return. Fort Kochi is such an alluring place after all,” says David.
Just a stone’s throw away, another famous homestay, without business, had fallen into a state of disrepair. However, Santhosh Tom, the owner of Vasco Homestay, has no complaints.
After a spell of maintenance works during the first few months of the tourist season (October to March), operations at Vasco began by mid-December, just before the Biennale.
Once a favourite haunt of foreign travellers, the recent guests at Vasco are all domestic tourists.
“This is one of the emergent trends of this season. I’ve had very few foreign tourists this year, but this has been compensated by a surge in domestic travellers,” says Santosh.
“I’ve had guests from as far as UP and West Bengal. Most are here for the Kochi Biennale.”
This has been the trend at Delight, too. “This time around, it has been 80 per cent domestic tourists and 20 per cent foreign travellers,” David says, labelling the idea that “there are Indians as equally interested in culture and history as the foreign travellers” as one of the greatest learnings from the pandemic.
Beyond Biennale
Sajith Saj, who runs Saj Homestay, shares a similar story. He adds that not all tourists are in town for the Biennale. “In fact, many foreign travellers learn about the Biennale only on arrival,” he says. “Most are here for the culture, and history of Fort Kochi.”
Notably, the Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society, or HATS, played a vital role during the pandemic and beyond. HATS has been instrumental in snapping the red tape. During the height of the pandemic, it also saw that the power tariffs of homestays were removed from the commercial category.
According to HATS director Sivadathan M P, almost 60 per cent of the homestays in Kerala had shut shop during the pandemic. “If there is a revival of business in Fort Kochi today, it is because the region embraced domestic travellers,” he adds.
The former president of Kumbalangi panchayat is also not dismissive of Kochi Biennale. “It is, after all, the biggest art festival in India. It boosted businesses, not just in Fort Kochi, but in other tourist locations across the state, especially Munnar and Alappuzha,” notes Sivadathan.
Santhosh hopes that this trend continues. “Competition is rife. There are way more homestays in Fort Kochi than before,” he says.
The boom in business has prompted Sujith C S and his Japanese partner, Hanoko, to consider restarting their homestay business. Breathe Inn was one of the popular homestays in Fort Kochi before the pandemic, boasting 5-star ratings and regular clients. But at the height of the second Covid wave in 2021, the duo was forced to quit.
“It was no longer feasible. We were paying over Rs 30,000 as rent. With limited guests, it was difficult to break even,” recalls Sujith, who had moved with his partner to Japan.
Until a few months ago, Sujith had no plans to return, neither to Kerala nor to the industry. “It was when Hanoko made a trip to Fort Kochi recently that we learned how quickly the industry has rebounded. Now, we are nursing a desire to restart Breathe Inn,” he says.
David, meanwhile, has a word of caution. “What we are seeing is likely to be the Biennale effect. There’s no telling whether this surge will last. We must pull the veils off Fort Kochi’s historic buildings and endearing culture. This is what tourists really seek,” he says.
Tanya Abraham, whose family has lived in Fort Kochi for over 200 years, couldn’t agree more. “Biennale has indeed revived tourism in the region, but it will be a while before we reach pre-pandemic heights. However, with the influx of money, everything is in a state of frenzy. And this is slowly deteriorating the old charm of Fort Kochi,” she says.
“What is really needed is more awareness about Fort Kochi’s heritage. For a town that is an amalgamation of culture, history and a way of life, our task is preservation. The government should really step up.”
Edgar agrees. “The identity of Fort Kochi is sacred. I hope that the town does not become another Panampilly Nagar,” he says. Sivadathan echoes similar sentiments. “The rise in business has obscured the idea of what a homestay really is. It should be a home and an extension of our culture, not a hotel,” he says. If the Biennale has propped up the travel industry in Fort Kochi, what could send it soaring is, as the natives themselves tell us, the quaintness and heritage.