Rolling out a new experience

Kerala launches Green Carpet campaign

The initiative is to ensure overall development of destinations ahead of the tourism season

What is the one thing which truly defines a tourist’s takeaway from a destination? A tour operator would, typically, say that it’s all about the overall experience. It’s a sum of many rather undefined components that translates to this experience. 

It’s a combination of experiences that eventually helps us compare the promised holiday from that Googled page with what we really got at the destination. And more often than not, the reality of bad roads, unsafe hotels or lack of information kiosks pale in comparison.

Tourism administrators in Kerala are getting back to the drawing board in an effort to rework the parts to improve the whole. Green Carpet is Kerala Tourism’s new initiative to make destinations in the state “tourist-ready” before the big season opens in November. 

The project, in many ways, sets a new planning process in motion – it tries to build a sustainable destination management system with greater participation of local stakeholders and more critically, with greater accountability.

U V Jose, Director – Department of Tourism (DoT), traces the idea of the campaign to a contention in the DoT that the state is, at times, falling short in offering a value-for-money experience for the tourist. “We continue to do the marketing and all the promotional events with familiar efficiency but there is concern over the manner in which we share responsibilities as service providers. Local civic bodies and departments covering water, public works and other services are all stakeholders in tourism development but invariably, the DoT ends up as the sole custodian because there is no collective responsibility,” says Jose.

The department proposes to bring a “change in attitude” among the stakeholders to ensure that there is a sense of local ownership among them. The two-month campaign will run till October 31; the DoT has identified 84 holiday hotspots across the state’s 14 districts for the campaign. 

The multi-agency participatory campaign involves engagement of tourism and trade stakeholders, local self-government bodies, the National Service Scheme Technical Cell under the Directorate of Technical Education, Suchitwa Mission, Kudumbasree, educational institutions and NGOs, apart from other social organisations.

Minister for Tourism A C Moideen, while launching the Green Carpet campaign in Thiruvananthapuram on September 1, highlighted the need for continued maintenance of destinations, involving both the stakeholders and local communities. The DoT has gone for a two-month run-time for the campaign to ensure a sense of urgency; officials in the department say that even if work on the select destinations is not complete by the October 31 deadline, the initiative would double as a good start for potential development of the destinations later. Ponmudi, Varkala, Kovalam, Konni, Kumarakom, Wagamon, Thekkady, Fort Kochi, Athirapally, Nelliyampathy, Kappad Beach, Kuruva Island and Bekal are among the popular destinations set for upkeep initiatives as a part of the campaign.

Scientific solid waste management, well-maintained public toilets, improved accessibility, pathways and signage, safe food, environment-friendly measures, contingency response systems, feedback and complaint redress systems, trained staff and service providers, community participation and designated destination managers constitute the 10-point action plan devised to improve amenities and services at the 84 destinations. 

“With the idea of a destination manager, we are pushing for a new development model with greater accountability. Take a destination like Kovalam; if we are talking accountability, it’s a case of everyone and none being responsible – the city corporation, the DoT, the Coast Guard, we are all involved in the process but by placing an official with an overall lead role at the helm, we are making it more organised,” says Jose. Task forces and monitoring cells are being created under the initiative. Service providers with distinguishable name badges are also being proposed as part of the Green Carpet campaign.

Destination managers are a step forward in addressing the issue of tourists’ safety, feels Ajay Gupta, a banker based in Mumbai holidaying in Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram. “We do keep seeing reports of attacks on and fleecing of tourists in different parts of the country. I feel that destination managers or dedicated task forces have a great role to play in ensuring safety of tourists but they can make a difference only if the tourists are provided information about all these initiatives. They should have a single-point access to these managers or they should even be provided with a list of contacts they could reach if there is an issue,” says Gupta.

Shortage of credible service providers, even in some of the popular destinations, is an issue the DoT has been facing for many years. Food safety, pricing of services and information counters will be among key aspects of complaint redress after the campaign. “Often, we fail to notice the small things which contribute to the overall experience of the tourist. Making sure that the toilet lights are functioning, the taps are running or officials wear their names on their clothes – these are all minor interventions but they do play a key role in the tourist’s take on the destination,” says Jose.