The Hindu Business Line : Kerala resorts go high-rise

While some builders defend the move citing soaring land costs, others feel this will destroy the nature of resorts characterised by sprawling buildings and cottages that blend with the environment.

— K. K. Mustafah

Will traditional resorts be viable with high land prices?

C.J. Punnathara

Land has always been in short supply in Kerala, which has one of the highest population densities in the country . Added to that was the money order economy of the State: an unending stream of foreign remittances and money orders propelled the price of the limited land to new highs. Homesteads in the State have become costly, and contiguous land for new projects too has become prohibitively expensive. Even at high prices land is no longer available in Kerala.

What is happening in the major metros and big cities of the country is happening across the whole of Kerala, irrespective of the rural-urban divide. This is beginning to affect the State’s industrialisation and tourism prospects.

“Land in prime locations in Munnar costs anything between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh a cent, adding to the project cost substantially. The cost in Kumarakom is not much different. And good land is hard to come by in these prime tourism spots,” sources in the real-estate sector said. Consequently, the character of resort tourism, with sprawling buildings and cottages, is giving way to high-rise buildings.

While the advent of high-rise buildings in places such as Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram can be considered as an inevitable part of urbanisation, the extension of this culture to high-profile resort tourism destinations such as Munnar and Kumarakom is totally unwarranted, says Mr George Dominic, Executive Director of the CGH Earth group of hotels . “The height of buildings in these tourist destinations should be restricted to the height of the coconut trees in these places,” he says .

Height matters

Anything higher would be destabilising tourism and the fragile environment in the long-run. Also, architecture plays a pivotal role in providing the ambience and ethos. It is not ostentatious lifestyle that the tourists seek in Kerala, but a place to relax, recuperate and recharge themselves mentally and physically after the strain of their hectic work schedules back home.

Architecture that blends perfectly with the surroundings, environment and ecology is what tourists need. But high-rise buildings in Munnar, changing the landscape and topography of the hill station, put stress on the fragile mountain environment.

‘Hike room rates’

Defending high-rise buildings, the builders said the high cost of land meant that every additional cent of land added to the project cost. Also, since a good part of the area came under the cardamom hill reserve, land use conversion was strictly prohibited. High-rise structures were the only option to contain land costs.

While arguing strongly against high-rise structures, Mr Dominic said the only way forward for the hospitality industry would be to increase the price of rooms. But there are limits beyond which room rates cannot be revised. Already Kerala is perceived as a high-cost destination and attracts mainly the discerning international traveller with deep pockets. With several competing destinations within and outside the country, further revision in room tariffs could deter fresh tourist arrivals.

Does this mean the end of the road for Kerala tourism?

Not necessarily.Vast virgin lands remain to be tapped by the industry. Kumarakom is perched besides the Vembanad lake, which has an area of 1,512 sq.km. Just a patch of this huge water body is today being tapped for tourism. Huge potential waits to be tapped in the districts of Kottayam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam, which surround the water body. And then there is the equally attractive Ashtamudi lake in neighbouring Kollam district.

The growth of satellite tourist centres would not strain the carrying capacity of Kumarakom but would also reduce the burden on its existing infrastructure such as roads, canals, water transport, etc.

Satellite tourist centres would also result in a more balanced growth. CGH Earth, pioneers of resort tourism in the State, is of the opinion that high rise opulence does not mesh well with the traditional tourism culture of Kerala. The resort has to provide open space, place to be with oneself, facilitate interaction with nature and the environment, and recuperation of mind and body.

Unlike business tourism, resort tourism cannot be restricted to the confines of a small space and high-rise buildings. Economics, ecology and environment all have a vital and interrelated role to play in the long-term sustenance of a tourist destination.

More Stories on : Resorts & Amusement Parks | Tourism | Kerala

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