Jose Dominic is a pioneer of sustainable and responsible tourism in Kerala. Dominic led CGH Earth Group for four decades until 2018, making it an 18-property hospitality major in south India, from just one hotel (Casino) when he took over the family business in 1978. In a free-wheeling chat with TNIE, Dominic, who now pursues organic farming on a 22-acre plot near Pala, after handing over the reins of CGH Earth to gen-next, talks about the past, present and future of the tourism industry in the state.
You are one of the pioneers of Kerala’s tourism industry. How did it all start?
Kerala was a late entrant into the scene. The Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur) was where everybody was going. Kerala’s reputation was a red flag. But during that very same time, Goa laid out the red carpet. The red flag deterred foreign direct investment from coming to Kerala. Meanwhile, the small entrepreneurs in Kerala did what they could. Indigenous and small became the flavour of Kerala. Though successive governments considered tourism as capitalist, luxury, and bourgeois, it turned out that the sector was serving the people as a product, creating jobs and contributing enormously to the local economy. Suddenly, it went from being on the backburners to the front pavement.
Was this in the ’80s?
Well, the ’70s - ’80s. The big leap came in the 1990s. That was when Kerala found itself in terms of tourism. Big steps like branding the destination as ‘God’s Own Country’ happened during that period. Fortunately, it also coincided with a boom in entrepreneurial activities. Kerala was said to be one of the weakest destinations due to the absence of entrepreneurs. But our growth in the tourism sector proved otherwise.
How did the concept of responsible tourism evolve?
There are also different types of travellers, according to Peter Aderhold, the noted Dutch travel academician: those who seek sun, sands, surfs (SSS), and the alert independent traveller (AIT). The SSS wanted white sands, 27 degrees Celsius weather, the best food, the best experiences, and no uncertainties. They would go where the ticket they have bought takes them. On the other hand, the AIT seeks to be in command. He will research, find out key places, and have a reason to go where he goes. The AIT is sympathetic to the locals. He will ask questions and likely spend more money than the SSS. According to Aderhold, 90% fall into the SSS domain, and only 10% are AIT. His research also found that India has more ability to cater to the AIT group. I believe this is also true for Kerala. Over the years, we have found that more and more people are shedding the SSS skin and becoming AIT. Kerala’s model, which primarily caters to AITs, is quite unique in the country.
So, you mean to say the ‘Kerala model’ emerged by happenstance?
The state would certainly claim that the system created it. But, actually, it grew from the efforts of small, local entrepreneurs. Kerala latched onto this very early on. We saw an opportunity, spent good money, and thrived. But I’m worried… I’m worried that the model has now shifted to the big and the massive, leaving the local and indigenous far behind.
The excise curbs, and the closure of bars following the tussle between former state Congress chief V M Sudheeran and former chief minister Oommen Chandy did considerable damage to the tourism industry. Could you share your views on this?
Well, the quarrel between the party chief and the chief minister and the resultant excise policy brought about virtual prohibition in the state. At the Heritage Hotel Association’s conference in Rajasthan, officials there said their state was enjoying a huge boom during that period at Kerala’s cost. Kerala was their biggest competitor. But with our excise policy, we had shot ourselves in the foot.
The tourism industry went to court, and Sudheeran famously stated that Kerala did not need to depend on alcohol, given its sights and scenery.
The court directed the tourism and labour secretaries to hold a joint hearing to listen to the petitioners. At the meeting, I narrated an incident from 1986. Pope John Paul II had visited Kerala then. After a hot day’s visit, when he retreated to his chambers, someone asked him what he would like to drink. The Pope asked for a glass of chilled beer (chuckles). Then, during the same visit, the Pope was offered meen pollichathu (fish roasted in plantain leaves) for dinner. He immediately asked the papal officer what wine would go well with the dish. Normally, with fish, you have white wine. But the papal officer recommended red wine, as the food served in Kerala is spicy.
Thankfully, the CGH Group, which was tasked with catering to the Pope and his team, had anticipated the requirements on both occasions. We treated him to some Indian red wine. After narrating these incidents, I asked the two secretaries: “Would you say the Pope came here to get drunk?” Their response, directed to the journalists, was, “Please don’t report this.” The excise policy continues to be the biggest roadblock for the tourism industry. For reasons that are vague, the first day of the month is a dry day. We are losing big business because of this. We lose out on MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism. Such needless rules affect the industry greatly.
In Sri Lanka they promote their local toddy. It’s available at every hotel. Can’t Kerala emulate this model?
Sri Lanka’s big success is not toddy, but their coconut arrack. Every tourist who visits Sri Lanka buys at least one bottle of arrack to take back to their country. It is like a memory of Sri Lanka to be preserved. But Kerala, sadly, is still stuck in the A K Antony era. Everyone is afraid to break the old arrack ban.
So, are you saying it should be lifted?
Yes, it must be lifted. See, we have FMFL (foreign-made foreign liquor) and IMFL (Indian-made foreign liquor). And there is a third variety, I don’t know the official term, but I call it Indian-made Indian liquor. While IMFL helps other states, and FMFL helps Scotland. If Kerala wants benefits, it should promote IMIL, which will help local farmers and create local jobs. Why are we afraid of that? The innocent minister will say, we have come as close as to making wine from fruits… but fruits into arrack, we haven’t reached there yet. Perhaps, they are afraid the bishops will make an issue.
CGH Earth operated a property on the tiny Bangaram island in Lakshadweep. How did that happen?
Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s trip to Lakshadweep in 1987 was a game-changer. He stayed on Bangaram island. After that, it was decided to privatise the government-operated hotel at Bangaram island. Invitations were sent out for expression of interest. Wajahat Habibullah, then Lakshadweep administrator, asked what the participants planned for the hotel. I told him I could imagine people coming from all over the world not for what they have there, but for the experience of what we had there. I said I would put up thatched cottages with terracotta flooring. He was impressed, and we eventually won the tender to operate Bangaram Island Resorts. We ran it for 22 years. We proved that the reason that people travel is not alway built ostentation. The ultimate luxury is pristine nature. We also showed the customer need not be the king (smiles). First comes the environment, then the local community, and only after that, the customer. This philosophy clicked.
The government has invited bids to develop private resorts in Lakshadweep, along the lines of Maldives. You had aired strong views on that…
On Bangaram Island, for instance, the carrying capacity was determined as 100 people, as per a study – 30 rooms, 60 guests and 40 staff. The island development authority conducted a study that said the capacity should be no more than this. Now, they want to push the ceiling up. The reason people come to the island is to see the lagoon. I am sure India does not depend on Lakshadweep [tourism] for survival.
You have been vocal against renovation of old churches as well...
The worst culprit is the Roman Catholic Syrian Christian Church, to which I belong (smiles). In Aluva, the parish wanted to build a bigger church by demolishing a 120-year-old one. So I went to the bishop and told about the need to preserve the heritage structure. He was interested. With another priest, I went to Aluva. We faced a hostile audience. Slowly, the discussion progressed to preserving the church, while making sure it was functional as per parish requirements. However, after a few weeks, they claimed the structure had ‘collapsed’. I believe they were scared that if a protection order came, the plan to build a new church would be scuttled. Now, a big building will come up. But all the history is gone. Similar was the case of the Valanjambalam temple in Kochi. A lot of people tried to save it. It was easy, money could have been provided. But they removed the chembu (copper) sheets on the roof, and replaced it with granite tiles.
Talking of heritage, doesn’t Muziris hold a lot of opportunities?
Yes, it has so much history. In fact, it is like Mohenjo-daro. But somehow it got caught in politics. Thomas Isaac and the current rulers are, apparently, not in the same bandwidth. So that project has slowed down. There is a huge opportunity. For instance, though there is no physical evidence yet, historical references hint that there was a Roman temple in Muziris.
Isn’t the government doing a lot to preserve it?
Yes, lots of work has been done. Then somehow it lost steam. Perhaps because it was seen as Thomas Isaac’s baby. The moment he lost favour, the fire went away. Muziris is probably as old as the pyramids. Excavation is going on in Pattanam, too. They found lots of ancient beads and a sphinx, too, which is probably connectable to Augustus. Spectacular stories are waiting to be uncovered.
You had once written that in tourism, quality is important rather than quantity. Is Kerala now going away from quality tourism?
Well, recently, a term has emerged over-tourism. One example is Munnar. The traffic congestion there is worse than the ones in Bengaluru. Like Munnar, another world-famous mountain or hilly destination is in Switzerland. But we don’t see a traffic block there. Why? People take public transportation. The Swiss have a funicular railway, something that can be built in Munnar as well.
What do you think is the biggest threat to Kerala as a tourist destination?
Garbage. A day will come when the whole ecosystem will collapse. Not because of some external threat, but only because of garbage.
Same is the case with our backwaters…
Yes. Sewage is conveniently disposed of in backwaters. And then there are the pesticides and other chemicals that flow into it. It’s a cesspool of bacteria and toxic chemicals. If Covid emerged from a wet market in China, one day, who knows, what will come out of the backwaters? Make the backwaters swimmable again. This should be Kerala’s target.
What are the prospects for beach tourism in Kerala? Recently, Goa emerged as the best beach destination.
The best beach in India, according to reports, is Kovalam. But regulations stifle its growth. In Goa, the attraction is that you can go with beer on beaches. In Kovalam, there is the story of the German high commissioner having to drink wine from a teapot due to the regulations. A traveller from a European country to India goes to the beach to chase the winter sun. Their luxury is to lie under the sun on a beach, have a glass of beer and some fish, and do nothing else. That is not possible here.
There was a lot of hype over caravan tourism. But it failed to take off…
Well, one key reason is that the caravans we got were too large, luxurious. One cannot drive them on the narrow roads of Kerala’s tourist destinations, especially the hill stations.
So, was poor planning the issue?
Well, I think when the state gets into it, they are wondering how much more to spend. Return on investment, viability, feasibility and marketability are not their primary concerns. The original model of Kerala tourism was small entrepreneurs doing what they could with limited resources, but when the state tries to become an entrepreneur, it becomes an issue.
What should be the next focus area for Kerala tourism?
Homestead farms can be a good option for employment, provided that they are an enterprise. Kerala homestead farms are capable of growing things of high value – pepper, turmeric, and fruits. The value proposition comes by not selling the product, but by value-adding it. Instead of going b2b (business-to-business), go b2c (business-to-consumer). Kerala is in a difficult situation and it will worsen, unless we find a way to keep the youth here.