KOCHI: Is Kerala falling victim to overtourism? Has the surge in tourism activities aggravated natural disasters, particularly in eco-sensitive areas in the state? If Fodor’s travel guide is anything to go by, it would seem so.
Fodor’s Travel, a California-based online tourism information provider, has come out with a ‘No List 2025’ which mentions 15 destinations from across the world, including Kerala, where tourism is placing unsustainable pressures on the land and the local communities.
As per Fodor’s, the locations named in the list are popular for a good reason.
“They are stunning, intriguing and culturally significant. However, some of these highly coveted tourist spots are collapsing under the burden of their prominence,” it says.
Kerala has been placed under the head ‘Destinations Beginning to Suffer’.
Placing Kerala in the list, the international travel guide has cited the landslides in Wayanad and the shrinking lakes and backwaters to make its point.
The other destinations that have been deemed ‘beginning to suffer’ are Kyoto and Tokyo in Japan, the British Virgin Islands, Agrigento in Italy, Oaxaca in Mexico and Scotland North Coast 500.
It quotes environmentalists and experts to highlight how the surge in tourism has aggravated the impact of natural disasters, especially in areas where development has obstructed the natural flow of water, thereby increasing landslide risks.
“And the development is largely unregulated, unsustainable and harmful to the communities and ecosystem of the state,” says the producer of English-language travel guides, founded in 1949, about Kerala.
It quotes the data released by the Kerala tourism department on tourist arrivals in the state in 2023. Last year, the state hosted a record-breaking 21.8 million domestic tourists and 6,49,057 international visitors.
As per the department, the expectations are even higher this year. The magazine cites the massive landslides that struck the villages of Mundakkai and Chooralmala, which claimed around 400 lives.
“The disaster occurred in a region suffering environmental degradation due to overdevelopment. Numerous government reports have warned of these dangers over the past decade, but have often been ignored,” says Fodor’s. It notes that nearly 60% of India’s 3,782 landslides between 2015 and 2022 have occurred in Kerala.
The travel guide also points towards another key attraction, Vembanad Lake.
“The backbone of Kerala’s backwater tourism is shrinking due to floods, illegal constructions, and increased and unchecked tourism. The proliferation of houseboats and resorts is threatening the lake’s health,” it says.