Kerala tourism owes a lot to foreign writers

Kochi: “Just once or may be twice, every ten years or so, if one is lucky and does it full time, one has a great travel experience that is so stupendous, so much part of the human as well as the natural world, and yet,” wrote Mark Ottaway in the Sunday Times of London almost a score of years back, referring to his travel by a houseboat in the Kerala backwaters and also of the “wonderful land of Kerala and its hidden 

beauty.” 

 

In his words Kerala is truly a multi-spiced dish with all its diverse peculiarities binding together to be a successful tourist destination.  This diversity is the only reason why Kerala has been selected “as one of the fifty must see destinations in a life time” by the internationally reputed National Geographic Traveller magazine some years later after Mark Ottaway wrote the above lines.

 

Kerala’s uniqueness as a tourist destination with its beaches, hill stations, backwaters, wildlife, colourful and vigorous villages stretched within a short distance of just two to three hours’ drive makes it an attractive proposition for tourists as well as travel writers.  Like Mark Ottaway, one of the senior most travel writers, foreign journalists play a significant role, much more than the lucrative “commission based” advertisements in marketing Kerala.

 

I would say the introduction of Kettuvallom (houseboat) in Kerala backwaters was a turning point in the discovery of Kerala as a popular destination by the global tourism market. Till then Indian tourism was confined to Agra-Delhi-Jaipur belt, Ajantha-Ellora and Kashmir. The Kettuvallam changed that all. No doubt, the credit, to a certain extent goes to foreign travel writers. The construction of world’s highest tree houses, a decade back, in the dense forests of Wayanad Hills was also lapped up by the global travel writers. 

 

The tree houses and eco lodges made the European writers start applauding this peculiar “living together system” with birds under the canopy of sky-scrapping trees.  Many stories were published on these novel eco-tourism ideas in the Western journals such as Conte Nast Traveller, Observer, Telegraph, Harpers & Queen, Bolero Magazine, Globo, Stern, Frau, Marie France, Marie Clare Maison and Cote Sud along with some TV channels including DW, Bavarian TV and BBC.

 

A former German travel writer Hans Jorg Hussong, had started a magazine called Kerala in the German language, probably the first of its kind in a foreign language. Allured by the marketing techniques of Tourindia, popularised by our own Babu Varghese (who first marketed Kerala backwater tourism to westerners), Hans became a successful tour operator in Germany with his Comtour. Some specialised tour operators like Holidayz, Indien Flavours, Flamboyant Sail, Dravidian Trails etc also played their role in effective marketing of Kerala tourism.

 

Late Babu Varghese of Tourindia was also once the consultant of National Geographic during his career as a professional Tour Guide (Approved by Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India).  He had understood the potential of foreign media in marketing Kerala to the outside world and used it to the hilt to promote his innovative eco-tourism products like Kettuvallom, tree house and the angling packages.

The Ayurvedic tourism has also a similar story to tell. 

 

Kerala-style weddings are now catching the imagination of Western couples. Some years back, the Swedish journalist Minna Ribbing herself selected Kerala as the venue of her marriage.

Among those western travel writers who visited and wrote on India, Jerome Bourgene, Angela Newstetter, Nikola Reyk, Francisca Zydek, Lesley Gillian, Solomon Jaison, Eva, Alyffe Mumforrd, Francine Lawrance, Neumann are just to name a few.