THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Caravan tourism is described as where leisure, sightseeing aspirations and freedom join hands. The caravanning culture took roots in the West even before motoring developed and has been a common recreational activity for decades.
While the state government too unveiled its caravan tourism policy ‘Keravan Kerala’ recently, not many are enthused about the new mode of tourism which involves spending a vacation driving around and staying in a caravan or camper in the midst of nature.
A section of tour operators has questioned the policy saying it was conceived without holding enough discussion among key stakeholders or any feasibility study. They said caravan tourism is not suitable for the state’s tropical climate and the project will turn into another white elephant in a few years if the government moves ahead with the project without checking its sustainability.
KeralaVoyages India Pvt Ltd MD George Scaria said Kerala is among the ecologically fragile regions in the country where climate change has been taking a toll on the people every monsoon in the form of floods, landslides and sea erosion.
“Is it advisable to allow fossil fuel generators at caravan parks round-the-clock near ecologically-sensitive villages and national parks even as the country and state have been taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint?” he asked.
He also flayed the government’s move to offer financial subsidy for the first 300 caravans despite it being a luxury tourism segment.
“It’s discriminatory to give subsidy to unsustainable projects at a time when several tourist buses have been lying idle for past two years. No incentives have been provided for their survival or revival. The state’s caravan tourism policy does not say how many caravan parks will be allowed and what will be their minimum distance from national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and ecologically-sensitive villages,” he said.
James Kodianthara, chairman of the Kerala chapter of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) said any project that is suitable and sustainable for Kerala tourism should be welcomed. “However, for the past two years, the tourism industry has not seen any business. I don’t think it is the right time to experiment with a new tourism project. No experienced player will dare to invest in new segments now. Some newcomers may do it. The government should give more priority to revive the sagging fortunes of various tourism industry stakeholders,” he said.
Tourism Director Krishna Teja said the policy was finalised adhering to the framework of the Centre’s caravan policy. The only addition carried out by the state was clubbing it with the Responsible Tourism to provide an earning opportunity to the local community. Carbon emissions in caravan parks will be lower than that of developing a full-fledged tourist destination, which is more damaging for the environment in terms of construction,” he said.
He said the state consulted with various stakeholders before the launching the project, which was why the government received enough support from the sector soon after launch.
Apprehensions raised
Caravan tourism not ideal for tropical region like Kerala as it leads to higher additional CO2 emissions
Govt offering subsidy for first 300 caravans despite caravan tourism being a luxury tourism segment. This is discriminatory when several tourist buses are lying idle for past two years
The policy does not say how many caravan parks will be allowed in Kerala or what their minimum distance be from national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and ecologically-sensitive villages
Does the government have an expert team to carry out biodiversity audit of the proposed park locations for making corrections as investors may not have that kind of knowledge?
The policy says there should be uninterrupted power supply in the parks. Is it advisable to allow fossil fuel generators at parks near ecologically-sensitive villages and national parks