Just as ecology is the latest grist for controversies in Kerala’s political mill, green is the colour that the state government trusts this season to fetch greenbucks to the state’s fastest growing biz segment. It is an infrastructure package for guided forest tours that Kerala tourism is placing its bets on for the coming season.
As much as Rs 2 crore has been earmarked for building amenities near jungle thickets, rich in wild life. The new product is getting finishing stitches through picking brains of the best among tour operators and travel professionals, V Venu, state tourism secretary told FE.
As many as 25 projects have been identified so far. The initiative is to be unintrusive on the wild life locale. The money will go to fund basic accomodation infrastructure and set up trained guide pool for forest trekkers.
However, the focus will not be on places like Thekkady, long-cherished by tourist family groups, across the country. Kerala’s new forest tourism project wraps around the theme of `lesser known tourist spots.’
Bird life in Gavi near Periyar Tiger Sanctuary is in the new shortlist, thanks to Kerala Forest Development Corporation’s eco-tourism project on this trekking spot. However, ever since Alistar International listed Gavi among `must-see places in India’, its cherished annonymity is gone.
“Its a challenge for industry too to come out periodically with refreshing destinations,” says KC Chandrahasan, a leading tour-operator.
Factoring in the the new penchant for involving North Kerala, tour operators abroad are soon likely to hear of wild life place names they have never heard of before in travel lingo. This means traditional names like Peppara that’s home to sambar-deer, leopard and lion-tailed macaque or Idukky with its bisons and wild elephants or Parambikulam with its jungle myna, rosewinged parakeet, heron, egret and Ceylon frog-mouth are passe.
Thus Tholpetty, or Soochippara or Muthanga in North Kerala are likely to head into the list of new destinations. Lake at Tholpetty is where night animals tiptoe in for their daily waterholing and Soochippara is a rock-climber’s delight.
Muthanga, of course, is a former hotbed of political tensions, pitchforked to fame after police firings on tribals in the forests. Kerala tourism’s roving eye on animal-life, this time may fall on Muthanga for another reason. A wild elephant corridor spawning three states- Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu – converges at Muthanga.
While policy has often bowed an angry point or two to ecology when it comes to infrastructure issues like power, Kerala tourism is out to turn this lesson inside out. Environmentalists, no doubt, will be thrilled to point out that its their pains that are paying out finally.