Now, Kerala featured in Vogue UK issue

The state’s famed locales come alive in a feature titled “Indian Summer’’ with Polish-born Canadian-Ukrainian model Daria Werbowy showcasing the season’s cotton designs.
Master photographer Patrick Demarchelier catches the State’s lovely elements of warm, spice-infused colours as Daria poses in white cotton fabric.

The backdrops include Kochi’s Chinese fishing nets on a driftwood jetty, a traditional houseboat and Malayalee women in colourful saris in a paddy field.

School children from St Michael’s Higher Secondary School at Vaikom, some 50 from Kochi, also appear in a double spread, with their own fashion statement and take on effortless dressing.

The latest Vogue magazine issue gives some cause of excitement for the recession-hit tourism industry in a state proclaimed as one of the “ten paradises of the world” and “50 places of a lifetime” by the National Geographic Traveler magazine.

French photographer Demarchelier is most known for his photo shoot of superstar Janet Jackson which appeared on the cover of Rolling Stones magazine and The Janet album. He is also mentioned in the film, The Devil Wears Prada, and made a cameo in the film version of Sex and the City.

Largest tourism market

The United Kingdom was Kerala’s largest tourism market with 141,147 tourist arrivals from the country in 2008 –– a 23.5 per cent market share of total international arrivals to the state.

In all, 598,929 foreign tourists visited Kerala in 2008 which saw foreign exchange earnings from tourism grow by 16.11 per cent.

The net revenue, comprising both direct and indirect showed an increase of 14.84 per cent touching Rs 13,130 crore. Kerala Tourism has announced Visit Kerala Year 2009 to forestall any fall in tourist arrivals owing to the downturn.

Growing at a rate of 13.31 per cent, the tourism industry is a major contributor to the state’s economy.