Lifting of liquor ban helps Kochi record more tourist footfalls

  • | Saturday | 21st April, 2018

He points out that the liquor ban had affected Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions (MICE) to a certain extent after the ban came into effect. Just think of how much money we are losing out on.”MP Sivadattan, director of Kerala Homestays and Tourism Society (Kerala HATS), raises another concern. Recent data with Kerala Tourism confirms that Ernakulam has witnessed a significant increase in the number of tourist footfalls in the period that followed the lifting of the ban and registered a consequent increase in the revenue as well. When a partial liquor ban was imposed in Kerala towards the end of 2014 by the then UDF government, one of the main objections was that it could ring the death knell for the tourism industry. “The agents are dealing with tourists in large volumes, and a tourist on an average spends around 300 dollars per person.

When a partial liquor ban was imposed in Kerala towards the end of 2014 by the then UDF government, one of the main objections was that it could ring the death knell for the tourism industry. When the restrictions were lifted and bars allowed to reopen by the LDF government in June 2017 by bringing in a new liquor policy, it was avowedly done with the tourism sector’s interest in mind. Recent data with Kerala Tourism confirms that Ernakulam has witnessed a significant increase in the number of tourist footfalls in the period that followed the lifting of the ban and registered a consequent increase in the revenue as well. According to available statistics for the whole state, tourist arrivals grew by 10.93 percent in 2017 from the previous year, the highest in nine years. In 2017, about 14.5 million tourists visited the state. We talk to experts and stake-holders to see if the tourism industry has benefitted as a result of the relaxation of restrictions.Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Co-operation, Tourism and Devaswom, says that “there has definitely been a positive change”. He points out that the liquor ban had affected Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions (MICE) to a certain extent after the ban came into effect. “Though such events do not completely rely on liquor for the meetings, it does have a role to play as part of the social interactions. Compared to the previous state when it was completely sidelined, there has been improvement.”It is being pointed out that another aspect that has helped enhance the tourist inflow is the relaxation of the rule for early closure of bars which are now allowed to function till midnight. Abraham George, chairman of one of the top holiday brands that offers Kerala tour and travel packages, has no doubt that the revised liquor policy has helped both leisure tourism as well as MICE. “This has been of great advantage for us to reinvent tourism in Kerala. Given that people from the West have a completely different food culture, they do prefer a drink in the evening. I remember how the restrictions had created discomfort and displeasure among the foreigners.”Agreeing with him is George Dominic, director of a leading hotel group, who asks why anyone would come here if they are not provided a good atmosphere to sit back and relax or to dine. They have many other locations such as Goa or Sri Lanka to spend their time, he points out and hence, we cannot afford to compromise on their comfort.He adds that the impact of the new liquor policy is yet to be seen, as it was implemented in the middle of the tourist season.Kadakampally Surendran says that Ernakulam may have seen a visible change because of its status as the hub from where tourists go to places such as Kumarakom and Munnar. “The Blog Express, which brought together 30 bloggers from 28 countries, to travel across Kerala and write about the same, has indeed painted a beautiful picture about Kerala to travel enthusiasts living across the world. This way of letting the world know about the aesthetic tourist destinations has done away with the need for spending a lot of money to promote tourism,” he says.Abraham George and George Dominic agree that the government has taken care of a concern by relaxing the liquor ban but there are issues that still need to be sorted out -- waste management and the recurrent hartals. Abraham says, “The aspect of hygiene is of great importance and if left unattended, it would show us in a bad light. The month of April itself saw three hartals, making the tourists feel unsafe and uneasy.”George Dominic says he has had first-hand experiences, where in groups of foreign tourists have shifted to other places merely because of these hartals. “The Indian agents at times are left with no choice but to warn the tourists about the hartal, saying there is no guarantee as to when the next protest would kick in. When it was declared without any prior announcement, there have been instances of tourists suing the agents, as it spoiled their vacation plans.”He says a few of his high-end clients had changed their plans and drew up a fresh itinerary, by dropping Kerala from the list. “The agents are dealing with tourists in large volumes, and a tourist on an average spends around 300 dollars per person. And imagine if the group has 30 members, it would amount to around 41 lakh rupees. Just think of how much money we are losing out on.”MP Sivadattan, director of Kerala Homestays and Tourism Society (Kerala HATS), raises another concern. “The idea of promoting homestay is to make the tourists feel at home and spread the message about our culture and hospitality. But the process behind running a homestay is long winding, and it is often cumbersome to procure a licence.”As a result, the number of homestays has come down to 300 from 800, according to him. “If the process of getting a license approved from the panchayat, after testing the water available in the house and pollution control, in addition to measuring the length and breadth of the house, is made less complicated, then we can take homestay culture forward. These procedures might make the naïve homestay owner from a far off place like Wayanad dejected and may further dampen his or her spirit,” he says.Kadakampally Surendran, however, says that his recent meeting with people in the field of tourism has filled him with hope that the tourism sector is heading in the right direction. He concludes, “Homestays give the real picture of how naadan we are and the indigenous cuisines we have. We must make sure that they function properly and efficiently, so that we can take tourism to greater heights.”

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