The Hindu Business Line : Sun shines for Kerala tourism sector

BUOYED by a commendable performance in 2003, when the total number of foreign tourist arrivals in Kerala rose by over 26 per cent, the State's tourism industry is preparing for another successful season.

"It seems like a good season ahead," said Mr K.C. Chandrahasan, Managing Director, Kerala Travels.

The State is attracting a lot of interest, especially among high-end travellers from new markets such as West Asia, he added.

Business events such as conferences and board meetings are also increasingly being held in Kerala. A growing number of people from East Asian destinations such as Singapore and Japan are also beginning to visit Kerala, and this trend is expected to continue, according to Mr E.M. Najeeb, Chairman of The Great India Tour Company.

High-quality hotel rooms in destinations such as Kumarakom, Kochi and Kovalam are in short supply, particularly during the December-February period, he added.

Over the past few years, the November-February period has seen high occupancy figures in most hotels in Kerala, said Mr Jose Dominic, Managing Director, CGH Earth group of hotels. This trend seems set to continue this season too.

However, what interests Mr Dominic is that this time around "the season may go beyond March, up to April". This, he said, was a welcome development.

Mr Najeeb too said that efforts to market Kerala as a year-round destination have worked, with the "off-season also looking good".

Industry players have been stressing the lack of substantial numbers of good hotel rooms, particularly in Thiruvananthapuram, is a problem that dogs Kerala's tourism industry. The State Government needs to take "proactive steps" to help increase the supply of hotel rooms in the State, said Mr Najeeb.

Mr Dominic, though, believes that better connectivity between Kerala and other parts of India and the world is the key to the tourism sector's health. Improved connectivity will go a long way towards helping Kerala's tourism industry, he said.