It is December. However, tourism sites across Ernakulam continue to wait for a rise in footfall of foreign tourists. Stakeholders say the entire reason for their current predicament is the absence of adequate promotion of tourist places in the district. The hassle of getting a visa adds to the problem. It is also alleged that more effort is going towards promoting North Kerala among tourists, while Central Kerala gets the short end of the stick.
“Kochi has been reduced to a transit point for tourists. Tourists fly to Kochi and immediately proceed to Munnar or Thekkadi. They have no idea that Ernakulam too has places that give well-known hill stations a run for their money,” says Jose Pradeep, president of Kerala Travel Mart. He said even the well-known Fort Kochi and Mattanchery are reporting low footfall. Promoting Ernakulam as a big package is the need of the hour, says Pradeep.
M P Sivadathan, director, of Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society (K-HATS), says Ernakulam is a ‘package’ that allows tourists to spend around four hours for just sightseeing. “The district has heritage sites like Fort Kochi, Mattanchery and the Muziris besides coast, plains and hills, a combination that makes it very interesting. However, its potential is not being fully tapped,” says Sivadathan, adding that K-HATS will submit a letter to the chief minister during the Nava Kerala Sadas on Friday.
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“For tourism to prosper, the authorities need to have a clear-cut understanding of sites with immense tourism potential and their importance. In Kochi’s case, everything is handled by different departments: DTPC, Kerala and Central Archaeology departments, Kochi corporation, panchayats, Kudumbashree and others. They lack coordination and it has proved detrimental to the maintenance and promotion of the tourist sites.”
He suggests setting up a dedicated authority to promote tourism in Kochi, something like the Kochi Tourism Authority, says Sivadathan, adding, “Look at what happened to the Kumbalangi Eco-tourism Village project. It took off on a big note but only half the project has been implemented.”
Besides Fort Kochi, Mattanchery, Kumbalangi and Muziris, he adds, Ernakulam has Kothamangalam and
Perumbavoor. “Mamalakandam is a sight to behold. There is Thattekad bird sanctuary. All these sites need to be properly promoted. A dedicated authority is needed,” says Sivadathan.