Minister’s Diary
Its refreshing when it pours ….and rejuvenating too!
Every year, by the last week of May, visitors to Kerala would find the local people desperately looking upward and scanning the skies. And you know why? They are all eagerly waiting for the southwest monsoon to burst upon them and the biological clock of the local people would keep on prompting them to check the skies, every now and then for signs of rain clouds. Annually, we have two rainy seasons in Kerala; the southwest monsoon that usually occurs from June to August and the northeast monsoon, during October / November. Of the two, the southwest monsoon brings copious rainfall to Kerala.
During the rainy season, Kerala switches to a new rhythm, blending well with the showers. Rains do play a pivotal role in sustaining some of the unparalleled natural splendours of Kerala. As the parched ground and its interiors cool down, scions raise their heads on grass, tiny plants and trees and the land soon would transform into an ocean of unhindered green. This greenery is the soul of Kerala from which it radiates the warmth of its culture, unique lifestyle and unparalleled natural splendours.
Even though the pace is lackadaisical, life goes unaffected even during the rainy seasons in Kerala. For the visitors, it is a different Kerala that unfolds before them during the rainy season. At times, it rains heavily with gust and sometimes it is gentle. And there are occasions when all that you hear is the unwavering sound of the falling raindrops, lasting for days, on end.
The unforgettable experiences for visitors to Kerala during monsoon days are many. The backwater expanses of Kuttanad and other backwater stretches in Kerala offer some of the perfect venues for watching the dark monsoon clouds, as they blanket the skies like vast sheets of slate. And when it rains on the backwater, the raindrops falling on the water surface create a rare symphony of celestial beauty. One could well be on a houseboat; tracking the raindrops and scanning every moment of backwater life. The backwaters also witness some quick action as part of cultural gaiety. The popular Chambakulam snake boat race, held annually in Alappuzha district during June / July is one such event.
The rains during the southwest monsoon also witness practitioners of Kalari and Kathakali undergoing special Ayurvedic healthcare procedures. A visit to a Kalari or Kathakali center in the early morning hours would be worth the effort. There is also another group, who also undergo rejuvenation during the southwest monsoon rainy season…..the elephants of Kerala. Elephants are fed specially prepared medicated diet, during a ceremonial event called ‘Anayoottu’ on a particular day as per the Malayalam calendar during the months of June / July. And to watch this one could visit the famous Vadakumnathan Temple, which is also famous for the grand annual festival, Thrissur Pooram.
As Kerala passes each day during the southwest monsoon, the annual stage for rejuvenation slowly sets in. By July middle, which usually corresponds to the Malayalam month of Karkidakam, the traditional healing touch of Ayurveda takes center stage with households and Ayurveda centers teeming with activities. It is that time of the year when the body is most receptive to Ayurveda therapies, thereby preparing an individual to face the rigours of daily life for the rest of the year.
Of late, rains and Ayurveda have begun to leave an everlasting impression on the minds of travelers visiting Kerala. Timely efforts of Kerala Tourism and also that of the private sector, another facet of Kerala tourist experience was unveiled to visitors to Kerala, who otherwise preferred the traditional season starting from September to March.
Another factor that has gone in favour of Kerala in becoming a destination for all seasons was the introduction of a variety of tour packages, at attractive rates through the Kerala Tourism promoted ‘Dream Season’ project. These tour packages are available from April to August, a period, which two years ago was considered as lean tourist season for Kerala. All of these efforts enabled us to transform Kerala into a destination for all seasons for domestic as well as international travelers.
Secretary’s Desk
Kerala’s repute as ‘God’s Own Country’ embraces not only the land's natural splendour, but also its time-tested traditions of religious harmony and peaceful co-existence. A vibrant symbol of this harmony is the snake boat race of Kerala, regarded as the world’s largest team sport.
This year’s boat race season began last month with the centuries-old Champakulam boat race and the coming days will see several other spectacular races including the world-renowned Nehru Trophy Boat Race at the Punnamada Lake, Alappuzha in August and the Payippad Boat Race in September.
Another race that is all set to create waves in God’s Own Country is the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR). With the Event Management Agency as well as the Event Marketing Agency in place, the planning process for the Kochi Stopover of the Race is on the fast track. The promotion of the event is expected to get a boost with a series of press conferences being lined up in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and New Delhi. With just 5 months to go for the event, Kerala Tourism along with the Cochin Port Trust is planning exciting events around the 10-day stopover, to showcase Kochi and Kerala to the world.
Last month saw Kerala Tourism’s destination development drive hit a new high with the inauguration of a project to develop Neyyar in Trivandrum into a full-fledged tourism destination. The project envisages beautification and infrastructure upgradation of Neyyar, one of the most picturesque spots in southern Kerala.
July will see Kerala Tourism on the road, with shows planned in major Indian cities including Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Kolkata to promote Dream Season, while August will witness its first-ever ‘blog camp’. Aimed at showcasing the State, the camp to be conducted in a houseboat in Alappuzha, will help Kerala Tourism tap the enormous potential of the blogosphere.
NEWSBYTES
Kerala Tourism bags Net 4 PC World Web Award 2008
Kerala Tourism has bagged the award for Best Indian Website in Tourism category, instituted by PC World, one of the leading IT magazines in the country. Incredible India and Gujarat Tourism won the second and third places respectively.
Announcing the awards, the committee observed: “The competition was really tough with almost all Indian states having its own tourism site and a handful of them offering information on different tourist place you can visit. After a very good look at all these sites, we finally came down to three sites- Gujarat Tourism, Incredible India and Kerala Tourism. And with a very clean and visually appealing design, Kerala Tourism took away the accolades for being a very well-structured site. The usage of technology was impressive enough with a good search option which was one thing most sites were lagging behind. The neatly organized categories made it easy for anyone browsing through the content. All in all, a neatly designed site with all the finer points taken care of.
Close behind was Incredible India which impressed with the overall design, performance and also for its diverse content. The technological aspect was where it was lagging behind which was a bit disappointing in terms of enhancing the user experience. Gujarat Tourism came in third mainly because of the impressive amount of information it packed into a limited space.”
International Convention Centre, another proud moment for Kerala Tourism
Kerala Tourism has never been reluctant to dream, to innovate. The proposed International Convention Centre at Akkulam is one such dream realized, with Mr. V. S. Achuthanandan, Chief Minister, laying the foundation stone of International Convention Centre Complex (ICCC) at Akkulam on June 4, 2008. The Rs.8050 million project is expected to be a real boost to the tourism possibilities of the state.
Mr. Achuthanandan said that the government will give utmost priority to the tourism sector, with many development-oriented projects. Presiding over the function, Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Minister for Tourism, termed this as one of the most proud moments for Kerala Tourism. “It is a giant leap toward for the development of the capital and the tourism sector”, he said. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Venu, V., Secretary, Kerala Tourism said that “MICE (meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition) tourism will get a fillip – not just in the city but also in the South – once the first phase of the ICCC is commissioned”. Mr. M. Sivasankar, Director, Kerala Tourism, extended the vote of thanks.
A plenary hall with a capacity of 1500 persons, a hi-tech hall, three meeting halls, eight meeting rooms, and a VIP room will be the facilities offered by ICCC. Apart from this, there will be a five-star hotel, 25 luxury cottages, gymnasium, spa, marina, water sports and parking facilities.
‘Dream Season’ works wonders
The Dream Season package introduced by Kerala Tourism to make the lean months from April to October beneficial and transform the state into a round-the-year destination, has proved successful with many tourist destinations in the state getting boosted with the package. All of the service providers, who have registered for the package, haves received a good turn-out businesswise.
Dr. Venu, V., Secretary, Kerala Tourism, termed this as the success of the efforts to transform the state into a destination for all seasons. Efforts are on to bring the enchanting monsoon season of Kerala, which is also important as a fruitful season according to the traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda, more to the international attention, he added.
Sparkling Response for Kerala Travel Mart (KTM)
With 290 international and 550 domestic buyers registering, the Kerala Travel Mart, scheduled to be held from September 21 to 23 in Kochi has registered a commendable response. The fifth edition of the prestigious event is expected to be attended by international buyers from 50 countries, informed Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Minister for Tourism. He added that delegates from South Africa and Brazil have already confirmed participation.
A new software has been introduced as part of KTM to facilitate contact between buyers and the sellers at the mart. The number of stalls has witnessed an increase of 25 per cent and all the stalls have been sold out. The KTM consists of 196 modules, 76 tables and 16 houseboat parking bays.
Rise in tourism revenue
In two years, the revenue from tourism industry has recorded a growth of 10,000 million rupees, informed Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Minister for Tourism. Many tourism projects are planned to be implemented with the assistance of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The government is concentrating on the infrastructure development of tourism destinations. The existing eco-tourist destinations in the state will be given better facilities, like the building of tree-top huts. Dr. Venu, V., Secretary, Kerala Tourism, has viewed the rise in revenue as a reward for the visionary initiatives of Kerala Tourism. With its healthy, eco-friendly and responsible enterprises, Kerala Tourism has already become a model for many, he added.
Ponmudi to be raised as an International Destination
Ponmudi, the beautiful hill destination in Thiruvananthapuram, will soon be made a picnic spot of international standards, informed Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Minister for Tourism. He inaugurated the development activities of Ponmudi, which will be carried out at an expense of 60 million rupees. A children’s park, well-lit roads, family restaurants, cottages, entrance porch and planting of saplings on both sides of the road have been accorded priorities in the development plans.
The minister informed that last year, there was an increase of 25% in the revenue derived from tourism. A remarkable increase of 20% has been witnessed in the number of tourists who visited the state as well. This year, the government proposes to introduce tourism development plans at an estimated amount of 1200 million rupees. Dr. Venu, V., Secretary, Kerala Tourism, said that in future, due stress will be given in identifying new places of tourism potential and developing them.
Kerala Tourism Domestic Roadshows
As part of its efforts to woo more domestic travellers, Kerala Tourism will conduct roadshows in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai from July 3, 2008 to September 5, 2008. Around 40-50 leading trade partners from Kerala will be attending the show. Kerala Tourism conceives the roadshow as a perfect platform to interact with the domestic customers, said Mr. M. Sivasankar, Director, Kerala Tourism.
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Days are brighter for Pathanamthitta
It had never been late for Pathanamthitta to be identified as one of the most potential districts of Kerala Tourism. This small district blessed with nature’s glory has won acclaims for being one of the finest eco-tourist destinations. Konni elephant camp, a rare station where one can have a detailed look into the life of the tuskers, attracts travellers from different parts of the world.
Now, Konni has been selected as the location of Tourism Destination Management Council in the district. The Council will concentrate on the development of various tourist destinations in Pathanamthitta. The setting up of the Council will add to the tourism possibilities of Konni as well, it is expected. The co-operation of the Forest Department will also be sought to this matter.
A tourism information centre will be constructed on the banks of river Pamba. The proposed centre would have an internet café and a sales emporium for Aranmula metal mirror and locally available handicraft items. Apart from Konni, a pilgrim facilitation centre at Ranni and a tourism development project at Perunthenaruvi are the other priorities in Pathanamthitta.
180.41 Million development plans For Kochi
The hosting of the first full-fledged marina in India, the stopover point of the prestigious Volvo Ocean Race, it seems Kochi has not yet come across such glorious of times. Now, to add to all these, projects worth 180.41 million rupees have been sanctioned under the tsunami rehabilitation programme for the overall development of Kochi.
Fort Kochi, Cherai, Munambam and Munakkal areas will benefit from the project. Three desalinating plants at Chellanam, Mulavukad and Kadamakkudy, construction of a sea wall, dredging activities in Perumpadappu - Kumbalangi backwater and renovation of thirty-nine roads are some of the development plans coming under the project.
Ranipuram Hills to be Eco-Tourist Hot Spot
The change that the concept of eco-tourism brought into the tourism sector of Kerala has been tremendous. It embarked on a new era in Kerala Tourism, with its close-to-nature approach and retaining of natural resources with utmost care and concern. Now, it is Ranipuram, the scenic hill station of Kasaragod district that awaits a rejuvenation through eco-tourism initiatives.
Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Minister for Tourism, officially launched an eco-tourism project at Ranipuram on June 1, 2008. The 30.56 million rupees project aims at the development of basic amenities as well as the road from Panathady, a border panchayat, to a base camp.
CURTAIN RAISER
IT IS BOAT RACE SEASON FOR KERALA
With the Champakkulam Boat Race held in river Champakkulam on June 19, 2008, yet another boat race season has commenced in Kerala. Associated with the state festival, Onam, these boat races are something of a cult to Kerala. About half a dozen major and minor boat races enliven Kerala’s waterbodies during the season between June and September.
It is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, held the Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha that succeeds Champakkulam Boat Race. This year, it is to be held on August 9. It is one of the most popular and competitive boat races in Kerala. Magnificent snakeboats compete for the prized trophy instituted by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.
The Pulinkunnu Boat Race, on August 30 is held in memory of Late Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India. The race is held in Pulinkunnu river in Alappuzha. The next fascinating event is Payippad boat race, held on September 14. It is conducted annually at Payippadu near Harippadu. Payippadu village has also a rare distinction of possessing the largest number of elegant Chundan Vallams (snake boats) of Kerala.
With Aranmula Uthrattathi Boat Race, conducted on September 16, curtains fall on the major boat race season of Kerala. This ritualistic regatta held in river Pamba is closely connected with Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple. It will be a mesmerizing sight for you to watch the elegantly decorated snake boats floating down the serene river Pamba.