Akshay

Around 2 lakh foreign tourists expected to visit Goa

NT Staff Reporter

Panaji, Aug 30: Around 850 charter flights are expected to land in Goa in the ensuing tourist season bringing in nearly 2 lakh foreign tourists. Over 700 charter flights landed in the state last year bringing in around 1.5 lakh tourists.

The vice-president (North) of Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, Mr Ernest Dias told The Navhind Times that charter flights from two more countries (Czech Republic and Latvia) would also bring in tourists from those countries.

Mr Dias, who is also assistant vice-president of SITA, said that the charters would start arriving in the state in mid-October and the first flights to land at the Dabolim airport would bring in tourists from the United Kingdom and Russia.

The senior SITA official further said that his company had handled 38,000 tourists last year and the number is expected to go up to 44,000 this year.

He also said that problems with regards to slots for landings were expected to be sorted out before the start of tourism season following the initiatives taken by the state Tourism Minister, Dr Wilfred de Souza.

Mr Dias, however, lamented that the state did not have enough accommodation to meet the growing demand of tourists visiting the state and that his company lost business amounting to over Rs 1.1 crore last year due to non-availability of accommodation.

The tourism industry has lamented the restrictions imposed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on tourists that they could stay for 28 days only in the state would affect the tourism industry.

A number of hoteliers told this paper that the Reserve Bank of India guidelines with regards to encashment of foreign currency was also affecting the tourists. Besides, restriction on playing of music beyond 10 p.m. was also harming the industry.

Among other hurdles faced by the tourism industry is the nuisance caused by taxi operators and cleanliness of the beaches, said the sources in the tourism industry.

The tourism industry also wants the government to re-open the Zuari bridge for bigger buses so that hoteliers in North Goa do not suffer.

From this year onwards the Condor, which was operating charter flights, is expected to run scheduled flights from Frankfurt to Goa, said the sources in the industry.

The sources further said that Air Lanka would also operate flights from Colombo to Goa. The state has been receiving tourists from the UK, Germany, Denmark, Russia, Sweden, Finland, and Spain.

The sources in the tourism industry further said that though Russians were the second highest in number of tourists who come to the state, the government has not given much importance to trade fairs held in that country. Meanwhile, the sources in the industry said that hoteliers particularly from North Goa incurred losses due to closure of Zuari bridge, as they had to carry passengers via Ponda and pay additional rent to the bus operators.

They said that most tourists who come to the state during monsoon were domestic who avail cheap packages, in which the hoteliers do not have big margin.

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If at first you don't succeed, call it v1.0!

Akshay

West Bengal develops old sites to get more tourists
BS Reporter / Kolkata August 30, 2006

The future of tourism in West Bengal seems bright with a slew of proposed projects in the pipeline, but Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, does not seem happy with the state of affairs in the industry.

He seems especially disgruntled with West Bengal's negligible share in the total tourist traffic in India.

Speaking at a seminar on tourism in eastern India organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Buddhadeb said that West Bengal's position was very poor with only 7.6 lakh foreign tourists and 12.38 million domestic tourists visiting the state in 2004.

Bhattacharjee spoke about tourism projects in the pipeline and said the state was trying to leverage traditional tourist spots like Shantiniketan and Bishnupur. "Tea tourism in North Bengal is also something we are pinning our hopes on", he added.

Coastal tourism, eco tourism in the Sundarbans and health tourism were other focus areas.

Three big hospitals coming up in Kalyani, Rajarhat and 24 Parganas were expected to boost medical tourism.

The central business district and the Hugli riverfront were being developed as heritage sites in Kolkata.

The Planning Commission had constituted a sub-committee for the development of tourism in the state while the state government had invited tenders from tourism consultants to develop strategic plans to boost tourism in West Bengal.

The principal secretary of the department of tourism of West Bengal, G D Gautama, said a budget of Rs 2.5 crore had been set aside for promotion of tourism in West Bengal.

An investment promotion board would also be in place in a month's time to increase investments in the state tourism sector.

Akshay

Kerala to spend Rs.10 mn for Onam

Wednesday, August 30th, 2006

Thiruvananthapuram - The Kerala government Wednesday allotted Rs.10 million ($215,160) for celebrating the harvest festival of Onam across the state.

‘Of this Rs.3.6 million will be spent in Thiruvananthapuram, while Rs.2.5 million each will be allocated to Kochi and Kozhikode and the remaining 11 districts will be given Rs.100,000 to organise various cultural events during the Onam week (Sep 3-9),’ Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters here.

‘Nearly 10,000 artistes are expected to take part in the cultural events across the state,’ said legislator V. Sivan Kutty, organiser of the celebrations.

The government has also decided to popularise Onam in foreign countries as part of its tourism policy.

‘From next year we expect larger number of foreign tourists for the festivities and we will do everything possible to achieve that goal,’ Balakrishnan said.

Akshay

Aitken Spence to raise million of dollars in India for Kerala hotel project


August 29, 2006 (LBO) – Aitken Spence Hotels Holdings together with an Indian partner plans to raise up to ten million dollars in India, to fund its hotel expansion into Kerala.

The company has tied up a 50:50 joint venture deal with Floatels India Limited, to buy up a 15 acre plot of land on an island in the backwaters of Kerala.

Plans are to build a 50 room luxury resort with floating villas and spas and will be the first Aitken Spence hotel in India to be marketed under the 'Heritance' brand.

"The project will cost between 6-10 million dollars, with the funds raised in India through a 50:50 combination of debt to equity. The project should be ready by late 2007," Malin Hapugoda, Managing Director of Aitken Spence Hotel Management told LBO.

Floatels India owns one other resort property – Poovar Island Resort in southern Kerala, with about 70 rooms, which Spence is eyeing for management.

"Floatels India owns one other property in Kerala and this will also probably be upgraded and given to us," Hapugoda said.

Aitken Spence is expanding into India, with several properties to be taken over for management by the hotel chain in New Delhi and Madurai.

Aitken Spence Hotel Managements has signed an agreement with Indian based real estate company Anant Raj Industries to run a five star medium size hotel in New Delhi.

Construction of the new hotel is being completed and becomes operational by end this year. The hotel has extensive banquet and meeting facilities, the company said in a statement, with rooms to be increased to about 150 in a year or two.

A second similar hotel is also under construction in Delhi, scheduled for completion by November 2007 and will be managed by Aitken Spence.

Spence has also finalised an agreement to manage and refurbish an 80 room garden resort in Madurai, due to be operational by mid next year.

City Lights

Meanwhile in Colombo, Aitken Spence is on the lookout for land to build a city hotel to add to its four resorts. The Company also manages nine hotels.

"We are also looking very strongly at a hotel development in Colombo, which we feel is necessary to supplement our resorts and assist the travel arm of the company," the company said in a statement Tuesday.

Occupancies are hovering between 30 and 60 percent at its beach properties, as fighting between the Sri Lankan government and tiger rebels keep tourists away.

The company has also tied up with Singapore’s Six Senses spa to build the 20 million dollar luxury Evason Hideaway Resort in Ahungalla.

The project is a 50:50 joint venture between the two and will be jointly managed. The resort is to be up and running by 2008, while the Six Senses spa will be up by 2007.

Ramada International has also accepted Spence property 'Golden Sun' as a Ramada Resort under a franchise agreement, though the hotel will continue to be managed by Aitken Spence.

The group recently refurbished its top-tier properties like Kandalama Hotel and Triton, re-branding its resorts under the 'Heritance' label.

Aitken Spence, the country's second-largest diversified group, has more than 40 units and associates in mainly tourism and cargo handling.

The group also has operations in power generation, manufacturing and management services, as well as interests in tea and rubber plantations.

Akshay

Incredible Kerala
P R Sanjai / Mumbai August 10, 2006

TOURISM: An ambitious public-private initiative aims to lure a larger number of travellers to the state.

God’s own country is aiming big now! Kerala has drawn up a Rs 1,000 crore investment plan to expand tourism in the state under a public-private partnership initiative.

“We are aiming at regional development through region-specific tourism initiatives involving clear-cut responsibility,” says Kerala tourism minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

Currently, over 20 per cent of tourists visiting India are headed to Kerala, and tourists arrivals are growing at 20 per cent. The state wants to grow these numbers through a multi-pronged plan.

Promoting “responsible tourism”, which aims at highlighting the state’s tradition and heritage while safeguarding environment, is one plank of the plan.

The state is also committed to “eco tourism”, which will protect forest area and will focus on keeping environmental balance while promoting tourism in nature-sensitive areas.

“Monsoon tourism” is being promoted to attract travellers from the countries where rain is less. “This is going to be an incredible experience for tourists.

We have also started “health tourism” concept by promoting Ayurveda,” says Balakrishnan. For this purpose, the state will identify super specialty hospitals and extend special accreditation after inspecting standards to push health tourism.

The state has also kick started “heritage tourism” and “pilgrimage tourism”. “The state will protect temples and natural pilgrimage centres for this purpose,” he says. Large scale cultural festivals are also planned to woo tourists.

Meanwhile, the government has tied up with Deccan Aviation for promoting “heli tourism”, which will help tourists to visit the entire state in a day with the help of choppers.

It is also exploring tie-ups with other chopper firms. It is also projecting Malabar region (eastern Kerala)as a key tourist location by promoting the forests of Nilambur and Wayanad.

“Kerala will float a state level coordinating agency to manage and monitor these initiatives,” says Balakrishnan. And you though God’s own country couldn’t get any better.

Akshay

God's own country: Govt launches campaign to pull tourists

Nandagopal Nair/Gilverster

Tuesday, August 8, 2006 (Thiruvananthapuram):

Kerala has always been the leader in tourism but monsoon has been a lean period.

To overcome this the government launched a campaign for monsoon tourism. And it is now pouring tourists in God's Own Country.

"I like the sound of rain. I like the rain when it stops and everything is very clean, very quiet. The birds are singing. It is a new day," said Malika Mostefat, tourist.

"I am the sigh of the sea/The laughter of the field/The tears of heaven". The muse that inspired Kahlil Gibran to write these lines also seems to have inspired the tourism department in Kerala.

Sometimes it takes water to kindle a fire, this tongue-in-cheek ad-slogan evoking the sensual side of rain, is part of the aggressive marketing campaign initiated by the Kerala tourism department.

Appealing to the romantic

The idea was to appeal to the die-hard romantic in all of us and it seems to have worked.

Kerala today has the highest tourism growth rate in the country. The initiative has created some new 'monsoon tourism' products, like 'rain walks' and monsoon food festivals.

"We have seen exponential growth. Last year about this time we had 40-45 per cent occupancy.

"We are currently having about 65-70 per cent occupancy in the same period at much higher rates as well," said Biswajit Chakraborty, General Manager, Leela Kempinski, Kovalam.

"Obviously, the campaign in Europe has paid off and a lot of people are coming in from Germany and Switzerland.

"They account for nearly 70 per cent of the arrivals for ayurveda," said Ranjit Mathew, MD, Coconut Bay Resort.

In Malayalam, the monsoon is also referred to as the oushada masam or the medicinal season.

Rejuvenation therapies

Ayurvedic practitioners claim that rejuvenation therapies are more effective during the monsoon months. The tourists seem to have bought the argument for now.

"It is so relaxing, certainly from the stress. It all gets taken away, as if by magic," said Lord Gary Allsopp, tourist.

"Kerala has magnificent rains and it is a fantastic time to visit Kerala. Traditionally this is the time when ayurvedic treatment is most effective," said EK Bharat Bhushan, Principal Secretary, Tourism.

The state government expects the revenues from the tourism sector to touch Rs 9000 crore this year as compared to last year's Rs 7,700 crore.

It is literally raining tourists in Kerala. The monsoon initiative of the state tourism department has begun to yield results.

Compared to last year hotel occupancy rates have gone up by 20 to 30 per cent. The cocktail of rain and ayurveda has turned out to be a money-spinner.

Akshay

Time ripe for literary, culture tourism
Staff Reporter

KOCHI : Following a slew of innovative tourism schemes in Kerala, the time seems to be ripe for literary and cultural tourism.

The State has plenty of places and personalities to be linked through conducted tours, especially in Malabar, where there are plenty of undiscovered and unspoilt destinations.

Thuriya Leisure, a member of the Dubai-based Consolidated Shipping Services Group, has made its foray into tourism. For this, it has announced Vellinnezhi in Palakkad as the `Destination experience of the year'. At a function organised in Kochi on Friday, two prominent artistes from Vellinezhi village - Kathakali maestro Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair and percussion artiste Mattanoor Sankaran Kutty Marar were given lifetime achievement awards. The event was inaugurated by E.K. Bharat Bhusan, Principal Secretary, Tourism.

G. Unnikrishnan, director (Marketing and Public Relations) of the company, says: "during my trips to Europe, people found it hard to digest that the village had become synonymous with Kathakali. By promoting it as a literary and cultural destination, we aim to market the place. A percentage of the proceeds will go to artistes who help us in the endeavour."

Each year, the focus will be on a single destination. It will be packaged in a way that people on a tour of Malabar will spend at least a day in Vellinezhi village, visiting places, meeting artistes and interacting with them. "We hope that others too will come up with tour packages covering literary and culturally-famous places. On our part, we plan to link Kozhikode with Thalassery, Tirur, Cheruthuruthy, Vellinezhi and Kochi.

The package will be promoted in Europe, mainly Germany," he says.

In Thalassery, the guests will be given a talk on Herman Gundert, then taken to Thunchanparambu at Tirur, where they will learn more about Malayalam language, and so on. "This is because Europeans constitute a good share of tourists who visit Kerala.

Most of them are middle-aged and above, who travel south in seek of peace and knowledge. We intend to give them the right feel of Kerala and her culture," says Mr. Unnikrishnan.

Speaking at the Kochi function, Tourism Director B. Suman said Kerala became an exciting destination for investment. "A boost to tourism results in a concurrent demand for investment. Culture and tourism reinforce each other.

On their part, players in the tourism sector must ensure that the community too stands to gain from tourism ventures."

Managing Director of KTDC M.N. Gunavardhan said all corporate and other companies should have social commitment.

Akshay

Jumbo tourism: Guruvayur temple to woo visitors

The Kerala Tourism Department plans to convert the elephant yard attached to Sree Krishna temple in Guruvayur into a major tourist destination.

The captive elephants yard in the temple came into existence in 1975.

Sixty-five elephants will together make up one of the biggest tourist attraction in Kerala.

With the state government planning to pump Rs 5 crore into the project, tourists will get a chance to spend time with the beautiful beasts.

Visitors will also get a chance to watch the jumbos bathe, feed them their favourite snack and also get a bit of Ayurveda treatment. The project will be formally inaugurated on Friday.

"Our aim is promote tourism in the area. It is a unique place with lot of potential. We intend to implement this project with the help of Devaswom Board to ensure more and more people come to this place to watch elephants," said E K Bharat Bhushan, Principal Secretary Tourism.

Major attraction

Lakhs of devotees come to Guruvayur temple every year and each one makes it a point to visit this elephant yard here.

"It's amazing we have never seen so many elephants together. This is the first time in my life. We like the elephants very much," said a visitor.

Each of the 65 elephants were an offering at the Guruvayur temple made by devotees including former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha and Malayalam superstar Suresh Gopi.

Due to lack of space temple authorities have now stopped accepting elephants as offerings.

Authorities say maintaining them is a huge task, the pachyderms consume 11,000 kgs of palm leaves and 5000 kg of hybrid grass each day besides tonnes of bananas and rice.

Around 30,000 litres of water is required everyday to bathe the elephants, which is done by 200 mahouts.

The Devaswom Board spends Rs 3 crore each year for their upkeep and is now looking forward to their elephants becoming a major tourist attraction.

Akshay

Climate change to drive radical changes in global tourism
27 August 2006

In less than 25 years climate change will have a radical impact on the global travel industry, according to the Holiday 2030 report launched by Halifax Travel Insurance.

Changes in the global climate have already seen Britons encounter searing heat, stinging jelly fish and wildfires at their favourite Mediterranean resorts this summer. The Holiday 2030 report produced for Halifax Travel Insurance by Bill McGuire, Benfield Professor of Geohazards and Director of the Benfield-UCL Hazard Research Centre, will make interesting reading for all those involved in the global tourist industry.

The Halifax Travel Insurance Holiday 2030 report reveals that by 2030 global average temperatures are likely to be at least 1°C higher and possibly as much as 2°C. While this doesn’t sound very much, the implications could be dramatic for global holiday destinations. By 2030 global sea levels could be 72 mm higher but accelerated melting of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets could contribute to levels of 25cm. Every one mm sea-level rise translates into 1.5 metre retreat of the shoreline. This means by 2030 shorelines could be expected to have retreated by at least 108m, and possibly by up to 375m, equivalent to the height of the Empire State building. This would wipe out beaches across the globe and coastal amenities such as hotels, golf courses and retail facilities would be threatened.

The Halifax Travel Insurance Holiday 2030 report predicts a fundamental shift in holiday destinations in less than 25 years with a reversal of the traditional trend for north to south ‘migration’ that accounts for 70 percent of all international travel. By 2030 the traditional British package holiday to a Mediterranean beach resort may be consigned to the scrap-heap of history replaced by a rise in tourists staying at home or engaging in health, cultural, sports and ‘beauty’ tourism. Increased temperatures will make Southern European beach destinations, such as Majorca and Ibiza, too hot for many travellers. Holidaymakers will be switching their main holidays from the summer to the winter and spring as they will be discouraged from travelling to southern European resorts by increased drought, flash floods and the loss of coastal real estate such as hotels, resorts and golf courses.

Conversely, climate change could have a positive impact on the British tourist industry. For example, it has been shown that the number of tourists leaving the UK for the Mediterranean is related to the level of precipitation in the UK the previous summer. Drier and hotter UK summers are, therefore, likely to result in a reduction in the numbers heading south. Holiday resorts in the South East such as Brighton and Bournemouth may see holidaymakers flocking to the beaches as a result of rising temperatures and the potential for aviation taxes to reverse the trend for cheap flights abroad.

As well as rising temperatures and climbing sea levels there will an increase in extreme weather events, including drought, torrential rainfall, floods and storms. Travelling further afield will be even more unpredictable. In Florida beaches may be lost to rising seas with ever-more powerful hurricanes threatening property and people.

David Rochester, senior pricing manager at Halifax Travel Insurance, commented:

"With increased extreme weather events and dramatic temperature increases predicted, holidaymakers will be considerably more at risk abroad in 20 or 30 years than they are today. As an industry, travel insurers need to prepare for the impact of climate change and constantly analyse these new risks in order to protect our customers whilst they are on holiday.

"Furthermore, the travel insurance market itself will change as our travel habits alter. In addition to changes in where we want to go on holiday, there will be a change in when we want to go.

"A winter holiday to the Mediterranean and a summer holiday to Sweden might become a popular trend. As a responsible travel insurer Halifax is watching the impact of climate change very carefully and has commissioned this academic research in order to more accurately forecast its impact on the travel insurance industry and holiday patterns"

Bill McGuire, Benfield Professor of Geohazards and Director of the Benfield Hazard Research Centre, commented: “When we investigate how climate change will impact on specific holiday destinations in 25 years time we have to base our forecasts on trends that are already becoming apparent and make broad predictions. Although these findings imply a slow down in global tourism and a change in holiday patterns there are measures that both travellers and the tourism industry can take to mitigate some of the worse effects of climate change. Local and national governments will have to invest far greater resources in water management such as desalination, sea defences, planting schemes to slow desertification and more rigorous building standards to cope with high winds and greater rainfall.”

Country focus:

Spain

The Holiday 2030 report reveals that Spain's peak tourist season is likely to shift. Whilst Spain is currently the summer destination of choice for British tourists, in 2030 the cooler Autumn and Winter months will mean it will attract far more tourists in the Autumn and Winter months then it currently does. A 2° rise in average global temperatures could see up to 21 more extremely hot days in the summer (> 35°) and stifling nights. Tightened water restrictions could lead to tourist facilities such as swimming pools and golf courses being closed. Together, the 200 or so golf courses around the Mediterranean use as much water as a city of 2.5 million people, a situation that will not be sustainable by 2030. If the changes are in line with expectations Britain could soon begin to creep up the ranks of top summer holiday destination.

Canary Islands

As for the Mediterranean region, higher temperatures by 2030 are likely to make much of the region excessively hot for summer beach holidays.

Conditions will be more bearable during the winter months, but more frequent Atlantic storms may bring flash floods, damaging winds and landslides. Without the construction of defences, a combination of increased wave heights, bigger storm surges, and sea-level rise will cause major erosion. Storm activity and higher waves, can also be expected to increasingly threaten beachfront property.

With few rivers, most water is derived from rainfall that is guided through tunnels bored in the rock, from deep boreholes, or from desalination plants. Increased pressure on water supplies may render the current high levels of tourism in the region unsustainable.

The impact of Climate Change on the Canary Islands could contribute to increased emphasis on Britain as a top summer holiday destination.

France: Provence and the Côte d’Azur

In France, tourism is likely to prosper in the ‘shoulder’ months, as the warmer weather continues for longer into Autumn. Tourists will also have to cope with flash floods, as severe, convection-driven storms punctuate the heat waves and extreme precipitation events become more common. Wildfires are going to be a major problem, particularly away from the coast and in the months of August and September. Rising sea levels will require authorities to address beach erosion and also put in place plans to move buildings back from the shoreline. Wetlands that are popular with visitors will suffer, either due to drying out, infiltration by salt water or inundation by the sea.

The predicted extreme conditions in France could encourage more people to consider Britain as a summer holiday destination.

Greece: the islands

The principal climate change threats to tourism in the Greek Islands, including Crete, looks likely to be a combination of soaring temperatures, and ever-more scarce water supplies. Inevitably, water is going to become a major problem on the islands, many of which must rely on wells due to minimal river flow. Crete appears particularly vulnerable and within a decade could face serious water shortages in five years out of six. Increasing aridity is also sparking creeping desertification, which may have severely affected the landscape by 2030. Again, toughening conditions in Greece are likely to have a positive impact on British tourism, particularly during the summer months.

Italy: Amalfi Coast and Tuscany

The number of heat waves predicted to occur in the Tuscany region is also forecast to rise dramatically. The Amalfi area will suffer from far more unbearably hot and humid nights, with another 35 – 42 ‘tropical’ nights, when temperatures fall to no less than 20° C, forecast. Both regions are likely to see at least 20 more dry days a year, contributing to increased fire risk.

More extreme precipitation events are also predicted, however, bringing the prospect of more frequent flash flooding. Longer dry spells, particularly in southern Italy, will also increase the potential for water shortages and drought. With respect to fire risk, northern and central Italy, including the Tuscany region, is forecast to be most affected by future climate change, leading to another month of fire risk in the summer months, much of this defined as extreme fire risk. With sea-levels anything up to 20 cm or more higher by 2030, all the beach resorts of both Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast will be badly effected by erosion caused by higher tides, storm surges and bigger waves.

As the weather in Italy becomes less reliable tourists may be drawn to Britain for their summer holiday. Furthermore, British tourists who would have previously gone to Italy may consider summer holiday destinations closer to home.

Malta and Cyprus

Summers in Cyprus are warm to hot and extremely dry, with virtually no rain from mid-May until October. With rising sea levels increasing prospects for the intrusion of saline waters into coastal aquifers, however, and with the climate expected to continue to dry out, water will remain a perennial problem. In Malta, there are real problems with increasingly poor quality of water derived from boreholes. This will be exacerbated as sea levels continue to rise, requiring further investment in desalination plants or the importation of water. At any one time, Malta is reported to have, at present, emergency water stocks for just 2 days. As elsewhere in the Mediterranean, both Malta and Cyprus can expect to be increasingly vulnerable to flash floods arising from more frequent extreme rainfall events, from more intense Mediterranean storms, and from beach erosion due to increased wave heights and rising sea levels.

United States: Florida

The state is extremely low lying, with much of the south, in particular, close to sea level. Without the construction of coastal defences, a sea-level rise of between 7 and 25 cm could result in the sea making inroads of between 100 and 400 m inland. This would ensure the loss of Florida’s typically low-gradient beaches along both coasts, and also seriously affect the coastal ecosystems of the Florida keys. Increasingly, the Everglades would suffer due to seawater infiltration, higher tides and bigger storm surges, especially if the protective mangrove barrier is lost as sea levels rise.

With levels forecast to continue to climb, perhaps by 1 – 2 m this century, measures to protect the Florida coastline are probably not sustainable in the long term, and cost estimates suggest that up to US$8.8 billion would be required for protection against a 40 cm rise. A direct hit on Miami by a powerful hurricane could be expected to cost in excess of US$100 billion in damage. With Atlantic sea-surface temperatures set to climb progressively upwards in the run-up to 2030 and beyond, the Florida coastline may well face a battering from ever-more powerful hurricanes. Serious coastal flooding will become far more frequent, through a combination of sea-level rise and storm surges of 5 m or more that accompany the more powerful hurricanes. A trend towards ‘wetter’ storms, carrying more rainfall, will also lead to more inland flooding.

Florida of 2030 will also face other climate change challenges with the potential to affect tourism, including increasing wildfires and the loss of coral reefs due to higher sea temperatures.

As a consequence, Florida is likely to become less popular with foreign tourists at peak times, but may host more arrivals at other times of the year. The shift in holiday patterns may see Britain experiencing increased levels of visitors during the summer months when conditions will be warm but still comfortable.

The Caribbean Islands

The Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Caribbean, including Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia and others, are especially vulnerable to climate change. The islands have poorly developed infrastructures, limited natural resources, economies that are sensitive to external shocks, and high exposure to natural hazards.

Forecast rising temperatures are unlikely to have a major impact on tourism to the region; instead, the main threats are likely to come from an increase in more powerful hurricanes, coastal inundation and erosion, sal****er penetration of freshwater aquifers, damage to coral reefs and other ecosystems, and the emergence of vector-borne disease.

A number of factors are likely to lead to the Caribbean Islands becoming less attractive to visitors. Energy and water resources will be strained, due to higher temperatures (increased need for air conditioning), aquifer contamination, and a predicted slight drying of the climate, perhaps leading to power losses and water shortages. Bleaching of the coral reefs will lead to a falling demand for dive tourism, and beach erosion and inundation due to hurricane-related storm surges and rising sea levels are likely to make beach holidays less attractive. The decline of Caribbean's beauty hot spots could see tourists seeking alternative sight seeing resorts. This could be an opportunity for Britain to put its idyllic coastal resorts and countryside back on the radar for holidaymakers.

Australia: Queensland

Tourism is one of Australia’s biggest and fastest-growing businesses. Here, the 345,000 square km Great Barrier Reef alone, attracts nearly 2 million tourists a year, who contribute over Aus$5 billion annually to the nation’s economy. Whilst it is predicted that the temperatures around the East Coast could become 1-1.5°C warmer it is likely that the lure of Australia's beauty will keep visitors flocking down under. Queensland is also expected to become drier as a consequence of decreased rainfall and increased evaporation, increasing the likelihood of drought and water shortages.

The most devastating impact of climate change on the state of Queensland is reserved for the jewel in its crown – the Great Barrier Reef. If the water around the reef gets too warm, the corals expel the tiny, symbiotic algae that live within them, leading to bleaching and ultimately to death. A global average temperature rise of just 2° C may be sufficient to kill off 90 percent of the world’s reefs

North Africa: Morocco and Tunisia

A combination of heat and humidity already makes places like Marrakech, in particular, extremely uncomfortable, and this situation will be far worse in 2030 and beyond. The beaches of both Morocco and Tunisia will suffer increasing erosion as sea levels rise, while the threat of desertification is also great.

Seventy-five percent of Tunisia is under threat of desertification, and every year more communities vanish beneath the marching sand dunes. This will be compounded in the future by the higher temperatures and by significantly reduced rainfall.

India and the Indian Ocean: Goa, Kerala, Maldives, Seychelles

The main impact of climate change on Goa will result from rising sea levels, with this very flat, low-lying area extremely susceptible to even the smallest rise. By 2030, beach erosion and inundation of shoreline properties is likely to be a real problem. Kerala is also low-lying and susceptible to rising sea levels, and is likely to encounter similar problems, although due to its size less people will be affected. Nevertheless, the coastal zones that support much of the tourist trade will suffer increasingly from beach erosion and inundation in the run-up to 2030 and beyond. Both Goa and Kerala are within the Indian Ocean’s cyclone belt, and will be affected by the increase in the number of more powerful cyclones predicted to occur due to climate change; a trend that may already be apparent. This will raise the probability of wind damage and coastal flooding due to storm surges, exacerbating further the problems caused by rising sea levels. Climate change may also result in a more unpredictable Monsoon, leading, on the one hand to severe flooding, and on the other to periods of extended drought, causing water shortages.

Maldives and Seychelles

The big problem for the Maldives is undoubtedly rising sea levels, with most of the 200 or so inhabited islands rarely rising more than 1 – 2 m above sea level. By 2030 sea-level rise will certainly have caused major beach erosion, and at worst may have started to submerge substantial areas of the islands. Salt-water intrusion of aquifers is likely to make individual islands uninhabitable, while the loss of coral reefs due to rising sea temperatures will mean the death of dive tourism.

By the end of the century, the Maldives could be largely submerged and uninhabited, and their tourist industry destroyed. Loss of its beaches and coral reefs will also take a serious toll on tourism in the Seychelles, but the higher topography – up to 900 m in places – will at least ensure that the country does not vanish beneath the waves.

The changing impact of the tourist trade could have a marked impact on local and global economies. The industry represents 3.6 per cent of the planet’s total GDP, in 2005 was estimated to employ 243.4 million people, providing 8.7% of the world’s employment.

David Rochester concludes: "Climate change will affect everything that we do, including when and where we go on holiday. Perhaps we are on the brink of a new golden age for British tourist resorts as people from Southern Europe start to come here in summer to escape the heat back home."

Akshay

Project to popularise tender coconut water

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has asked his department to come up with a project to push tender coconut water into the vacuum left by Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which the State Government had banned last week.

He said tender coconut water could be promoted not only as an ordinary beverage but also as a beverage with medicinal properties.

The department had already directed the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) to ensure the availability of tender coconut water at its units.

It would be there in the menu at the KTDC restaurants, he added.

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Soni to make temple towns tourist spots

Kanchipuram, August 26: The tourism ministry has proposed to promote the 'temple towns' of the country into 'tourist spots' by providing adequate infrastructure facilities.

Speaking to reporters here today Tourism and Cultural Affairs minister Ambika Soni said developmental activities would be undertaken with the help of local population and complying with the norms prescribed by the ASI as many of the 'heritage structures' were protected by the agency.

She said that many corporate including Infosys, Taj group and ONGC, have come forward for active participation in such endeavours.

Further, in view of the likely heavy influx of tourists for the Commonwealth Games in 2010, 'paying-guest-type accommodation' will be promoted in Delhi, Soni said.

She hoped that by this method, "without investing much money, the local entrepreneurial potentials could be tapped".

The efforts being made by the department and the TDC hotels were "upto the mark" and the total hotel accommodation of 1.30 lakh were completely occupied or booked for the event, she said.

She also said that Tamil Nadu had great potential in Health tourism, similar to Kerala, with its large number of hospitals and speciality services. (Agencies)

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Replicating Parumala model world over
Priscilla Jebaraj

CHENNAI : "A dream for every rural Indian."

That's how President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam described the St Gregorios Cardio-Vascular Centre, Parumala, when he visited it last year. Now the man behind the super speciality heart facility, K.M. Cherian, wants to take that dream to the rest of the world.

The picturesque village of Parumala lies on an island encircled by Kerala's holy river, the Pampa, and its tributaries. Next year, it will become the venue of the first International Rural Cardiac Conference, with Thomas Pezzella of the World Heart Foundation serving as a key resource person. The aim is to share the Parumala model of "cost-effective medical treatment for emerging economies."

The 35-bed Parumala centre practises what it preaches. Since it opened in December 2003, the centre has treated patients at a fraction of the cost they would have paid in a metropolitan city.

The centre, a unit of the 300-bed St Gregorios Mission Hospital, is sponsored by the Chennai-based Frontier Lifeline and the Dr. K.M. Cherian Heart Foundation. With its modern cathlab, computerised ECG and treadmill testing facilities and cardiac operation theatre, the centre sends its rural patients the message that they don't have to settle for anything less than their urban counterparts.

No wonder, in this year's Republic Day speech, Mr. Kalam cited the centre as an example of the Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA) scheme.

Dr. Cherian tells of one 39-year-old villager who was born a `blue baby' with a congenital heart defect and received no treatment till the centre was opened. "In rural areas, [there are] so many patients who could have been operated, but have not even been diagnosed properly."

The centre also reaches out to the villages with free diagnostic heart camps, training programmes and telemedicine facilities. It has spent over Rs. 4 lakh on free camps and concessions over the last two years.

The centre cuts cost partly by using indigenous equipment. An Indian-made heart valve costs just 10 per cent of the imported version.

Dr. Cherian also advocates a "Robin Hood policy". This cross-subsidisation strategy involves promoting the centre as a medical tourism hub. He hopes to woo Western patients, who face high costs and long queues at home, with a lower price tag and the attractions of God's own country.

So far, most of the international patients at Parumala have come from the underdeveloped nations of Africa, Central America and West Asia. Abdul Jabbar, 64-year-old Iraqi, who underwent surgery at Parumala earlier this month, heard about the centre from previous Iraqi patients. "Dr. KMC is a hero in Iraq," he says.

Holistic healthcare

But Dr. Cherian is also aiming for patients from developed nations who can pay more. For that, "our approach must change... we need to provide five star facilities, trips to tourist areas" and targeted promotional activities, he says. One initiative is collaboration with the Cholayil group to provide holistic health care.

"Combining Ayurveda with allopathy — that should be the business plan to promote medical tourism," says Dr. Cherian.

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Coco Houseboats: An eco-friendly option



Coco Planet Tours & Travels is one of the leading tour operators and travel agents in Kerala and Karnataka with online operations in the field of travel and tourism including facilities for accommodation in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. It also promotes eco-friendly activities like building houseboats and increasing awareness among people to save the environment.

The infrastructure backbone of Coco, such as the houseboats, luxury cruisers, are owned and maintained by Coco Houseboats. It has a friendly team of professional crew who have extensive knowledge of the lake and rivers and all its turn outs. Another venture from this group is their Coco Hut, located away from the busy tour circles on a beautiful portion of the canal that leads to the backwaters of Alleppey.

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Kerala promotional exhibition in Washington

Thiruvananthapuram - ‘Kerala Mela’ will be celebrated on Oct 28 this year in the US to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the state’s birth and to showcase it as a tourist destination.

The daylong event is being organised with support from all Kerala groups in the Baltimore-Washington area and will be hosted at the Discovery Sports Centre, Washington DC.

‘Kerala as a tourist destination is still not popular in the US and through this exhibition we would showcase the various art forms of our state to the people in the US. The state’s cuisine would also be on display,’ said the convener Benoy Thomas.

Pledging full support, state Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the government realises the importance of such promotional events.

‘We intend to use similar forums to promote the state and we would extend all help to make this a grand success. There are limitations for the state government to organise such events and instead we would support the efforts of people like Thomas,’ said the minister.

The organisers expect to get around 10,000 people to visit the event. State Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran would be the chief guest.