Now, Kerala tourism unveils the North

Projects worth Rs 600 crore set to take off

Kerala plans to tap the unexplored northern districts

Tourism administrators in Kerala have, over the past few years, increasingly found themselves handling questions on that much-dreaded possibility – saturation. As challenges of catering to a rapidly evolving customer base emerge and serious competition shows up in neighbouring countries, including Sri Lanka, the idea has been to reinvent, constantly, and to identify new possibilities.

Some of the answers have surfaced but the Department of Tourism (DoT) is now looking northward for a crucial realignment in the state’s tourism map. With the state government announcing proposals to revive destinations in north Kerala and bring in a new focus in planning for the region, the DoT is hoping to stall threats of a possible impact on some of the state’s destinations in the south.

The plans assume significance since earlier this month, Lonely Planet – the world’s leading travel guide – had picked Northern Kerala at No 3 in its list of most “exciting spots” in Asia to visit over the next 12 months. The region comes next after Gansu in China, and South of Tokyo in Japan. Prominent destinations in Singapore, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Indonesia are featured in the list.

The guide calls Northern Kerala, the only Indian destination in the list, the “underrated half of the state, concealing its backwater charms and emerging slowly like a butterfly from a chrysalis”.

Kerala’s tourism planners believe that this element of surprise, the lure of the unexplored, could provide the all-important push for the region.  Lonely Planet talks about the “pristine” beaches of Kannur, Thottada and Bekal and home-stays and resorts offering a beach-front view “that should make Goa’s hoteliers weep”.This, indeed, is high praise. The DoT’s decision to repackage the North also draws from statistics.

P Bala Kiran, Director – Kerala Tourism, says of the over one million foreign tourists who arrive in the state every year (10,38,419 arrivals in 2016), northern Kerala accounts for only about 10%. He feels the need to rearrange these numbers is imminent, also to avoid massive environmental issues in the overdone tourism circuits of the south.  
Wayanad, with its wildlife trails, and stand-alone destinations, including Bekal in Kasaragod, continue to host tourists but the potential is largely untapped in the districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad.

“Barring Wayanad, numbers from the north have been abysmally low. There was a need to highlight the region’s destinations more aggressively. We are trying to create tourism infrastructure in many of these destinations and encouraging the industry to invest there. The branding of the destinations has already begun,” says Bala Kiran.

The DoT plans to double foreign tourist arrivals in the state by 2021 and increase the domestic arrivals (13.17 million in 2016) by 50%. The state government is set to release a tourism policy document that covers the repackaging of northern Kerala.

“This is definitely good news for Malabar; many of its unique features have remained largely unexplored by the tourist. For instance, there’s a certain serenity about the beaches in the region. The government needs to address the issues of connectivity but this is a much-needed start, also considering how the southern destinations of the state are facing a challenge of saturation,” says Dinesh Kumar, General Manager, Malabar Ocean Front Resort and Spa, in Kasaragod.

Minister for Tourism Kadakampally Surendran, while acknowledging the high rating for the region by Lonely Planet, has stated that over one year, the DoT designed tourism projects in northern Kerala worth Rs 600 crore.

The new tourism push in the region is also expected to benefit  from the upcoming greenfield airport in Kannur. Beach, heritage and ecotourism projects, museums, botanical gardens, cultural centres, boat terminals, recreation centres, food and shopping streets feature in plans for the region.

A resort is being planned on 3.5 acres at the Muzhappilangad drive-in beach in Kannur, at an estimated budget of Rs 43.2 crore. The DoT also proposes to ensure business opportunities for local communities through home-stays and eateries. “Culture and festivals will be a key feature in promotional activities planned for the region,” says Bala Kiran.

The DoT’s proposals for northern Kerala also include the Malabar Cruise Tourism project, an ambitious initiative being planned at about Rs 325 crore. Eleven waterbodies in the districts of Kasaragod and Kannur – Valapattanam, Kuppam, Perumba, Ancharakkandy, Mahe, Thalassery, Neeleswaram, Tejaswini, Vilaya, Paramba and Chandragiri – will be promoted as part of the project.

Planned as a 197-km cruise, it will showcase art and craft forms and products which are unique to the region. As part of the project’s first phase, the government has sanctioned Rs 15 crore for construction of boat jetties and riverside walkways in Parassinikkadavu and Pazhayangadi.

Tourism administrators in the state have, at times, also faced criticism for failing to break the clutter, to break away from the staples of Ayurveda, beaches and backwaters and find interesting add-ons. The plans to reinvent these staples will involve creation of new products from existing resources.  As Bala Kiran details his department’s plans for re-positioning the ‘Kerala Brand’, he says the need to develop more destinations for the young tourist is crucial. “The destinations also have to offer something to those who seek adventure. Activity-based packages will find more space in our plans as we go forward,” he says.