With a lineup that includes an internationally-acclaimed arts festival, a carnival that romps home arts, music and more, and, of course, Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, December is one of the most festive months in Kochi’s calendar.
For many, how this month fares defines the trajectory for the upcoming year. And nowhere is that impact more profound than in the twin towns of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, which rely heavily on tourism.
While it’s true that tensions in the Red Sea have put a dent in the number of cruise vessels calling at Kochi, thereby limiting the number of foreign tourists to the region, an alchemic combination of various other factors has contributed to making this season one of the most promising in recent years.
“Things are definitely looking up,” says David Lawrence, one of the proprietors of Delight Homestay, which sits in the heart of Fort Kochi’s heritage zone, overlooking the historic Parade Ground.
This 1994-opened homestay – arguably the first such establishment in the state – is a barometer to gauge the strength of the tourism season. And David is positive about his forecast. “This is one of the best seasons we will have,” he adds.
On a rain-soaked morning, TNIE hopped on a boat to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry to see first-hand what’s aiding this resurgence in the twin towns. It’s obvious as soon as you get off the ferry. “The Biennale is here,” says Shanu as he juggles multiple orders for chai.
His humble teashop near Vasco Square is where the town congregates to exchange daily news and gossip. Among the lot that morning were also a band of tourists who had arrived from Europe. “They have come for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale,” Shanu adds.
Sivadathan M P, one of the office-bearers of the Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society (HATS), terms the Biennale “a big catalyst”. “It attracts art aficionados from across the country and beyond. However, you can’t call it the main draw.”
He is right. Before the inception of the Biennale in 2012, what lured tourists here were history and heritage.
“These continue to bring tourists to this day, and many who come have made a tradition of it — they arrive every year. For them, the Biennale is just a bonus,” adds Sivadathan, who, for years, has been urging for the proper maintenance of the twin towns’ built legacy.
Sajith Saj, who runs Saj Homestay, agrees. According to him, there are many who only learn of the Biennale after coming here. “But yes, the art festival has definitely brought a sizable number of tourists to Fort Kochi – both foreign and domestic,” he adds.
The influx of the latter is a recent trend, steered by the months close on the heels of the pandemic, when travel was restricted to within the country.
“The surge in the number of domestic tourists has long made up for the lull in foreign tourists,” says Santhosh Tom, whose homestay, Vasco Homestay (also a favourite snapshot point: Big B’s house), has hosted guests from afar.
Edgar P, who owns several historic and popular establishments in the area, credits this to the very innate human tendency to travel, explore new cultures, and enjoy different cuisines. “And what better place than Fort Kochi for this,” he says.
To cater to both groups (i.e. foreign and domestic tourists), a lot of establishments and bespoke offerings have since mushroomed in the twin towns. Most notable among them are group walks that cover a plethora of themes — history, heritage, faith, food, and other immersive experiences.
Those hosted by Johann Binny under his venture, Kochi Heritage Project, have been a big draw. What began in 2018 as an endeavour to reconnect with his roots has since transformed into, as Johann puts it, “a mission to foster a deeper appreciation of the city’s heritage while supporting local communities and preservation efforts”.
Also commendable are the efforts of a relatively new group, Community 40, a five-member heritage and culture collective led by Adheena Ashfaque, a local resident and techie. “The idea is to record the region’s history before it vanishes completely,” she says.
In addition to these, several others have done their small part in stitching together an appreciation for history, arts and more in their many offerings. Among those widely discussed is the raising of a new plaque at the Fort Kochi post office — one of the oldest post offices in the country (established 1864) — to celebrate its own history.
“We can’t always rely on the administrators. Sometimes, we should act on our own accord and do what little we can to uphold the legacy of our town,” says Basheer P V, a local resident.
Indeed, that is precisely the objective of Cochin Carnival. “It has been running for the past 42 years. What makes it special is that it is a participative festival. Not a spectacle. Meaning, people from all walks of life take an active part in it — to relish, to entertain, and ultimately, to belong,” says former mayor K J Sohan, who was one of the carnival’s founding organisers.
For the tourist, this event is also an avenue to herald the New Year in style. “If you look at it, there’s a long chain of festivities across the world, starting from Auckland in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii. Our Carnival is India’s entrant in this list,” Sohan adds.
These big and small acts are gratifying to the many tourists who have come here, thereby ensuring that they have a memorable time here, which, invariably, would mean them and even their friends coming here for another reliving of good times, which, in turn, would fuel an augmentation of local offerings. “It’s a cycle,” Sivadathan of HATS points out.
Yet, even with all this promise, old woes still linger. Fort Kochi’s perennial problems, most of them entirely avoidable, continue to chip away at the experience: inadequate public toilets, stray dogs, poor waste management, illegal vendors spilling onto footpaths, no real parking plan, patchy traffic monitoring, and the worst of them all: the gentrification of the region, a trading away of its character for the sole sake of boosting tourism.
“These spoil the experience for tourists. We have been raising these issues for ages. Won’t the authorities ever step up?” asks David.