Category: Interview

The tourism industry of Kerala is largely supportive yet not even 50% of the industry partners are associating with the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission activities, says Rupesh Kumar, the State’s Responsible Tourism Mission Coordinator. We hope by implementing the RT Classification system, industry partners will automatically cooperate with the Mission since RT Classification is a promotional tool in the international tourism market. Our activities have created a new face for Kerala Tourism in the national and international tourism market and RT has become a kind of tagline for Kerala Tourism, he says. Excerpts from an interview: Q: In what way has ... Read more

The State and Central governments should support the tourism sector by offering moratorium on loan repayments for a period of 24 months, says Prasad Manjali, Director of Contour Group of Hotels & Resorts. They could also look at supporting salary payments of the hospitality and tourism employees, notes Manjali, who is also the Managing Director & CEO of Citrine Hospitality Ventures. He says the cost of property maintenance including basic salaries of staff, lease payments, generator fuel expenses and electricity was tough to deal with. The staff panicked as they realised that the pandemic had created instability, he says in ... Read more

The President of the Wayanad Tourism Organisation (WTO), K R  Vancheeswaran, says that since properties in Wayanad are largely MSMEs, the chances of them closing down are very high.The quick buck makers are bound to close down, while the more serious and resilient ones will weather the storm and get back on their feet, he says. There are many fly-by-night operators who have already shut shop, Vancheeswaran, says in an exclusive interview, which is part of our mini-series Wayanad Matters. This being a glamour industry there are many who can’t even openly state their plight, for it will affect their pride. ... Read more

VG Jayachandran, CEO of Tour Designers, says product development and research must be the main functions of the State tourism department, not marketing. At present, in the name of marketing, millions are spent which never hit the target, he says. Any organisation, which doesn’t have the participation of all stakeholders, will not find a place in this situation – whether it is FAITH or any other confederation. They are just old wine in used bottles, he says. Excerpts from an interview: Q: Why do you think governments – both at the Centre and State levels – have ignored the pleas of ... Read more

By Anish Kumar – CEO, Travel Planners Countries like Chile, Germany, Italy, Britain and the US are looking at providing immunity passports to people who have recovered from the coronavirus, so that they feel encouraged to travel. Immunity passport is a form of documentation given to those who have recovered from Covid-19. Those who have recovered from the impact of the coronavirus have developed herd immunity, and hence such measures are being considered to revive the travel sector. It is estimated that around 8.33 million people have recovered from Covid-19 worldwide. They have developed antibodies against the disease and are ... Read more

Sajan Joseph, co-founder and CEO of Breakout Hotels, feels trade bodies must be in continuous touch with the government to make a difference in policy making. The associations tend to be in contact with political authorities only during conclaves and when a crisis erupts. He says trade bodies should include people with a wider exposure, not just tourism, to have more impact. Excerpts from an interview: Q: As a hotelier you must be wondering what wrong has the hospitality industry done to deserve the ignominy of getting ignored repeatedly by the State and Central governments. Your thoughts please. Well, the ... Read more

By George Scaria, President, Tourism Professionals Club The travel and tourism industry has been the worst-hit sector across the globe, during the  Covid-19 pandemic. The sector is a major contributor to India’s tax kitty, representing over 8% of the country’s GDP. It is also the second largest contributor to foreign exchange earnings. With regard to Kerala, the industry’s GDP contribution is nearly 10%. Until March 2020, India used to boast that the tourism Industry takes care of around 12% of the total employment opportunities in the country. Unfortunately, these numbers became the biggest pain-point during the pandemic as the sector started ... Read more

More than one lakh employees in Kerala’s travel and tourism sector have lost their jobs during this pandemic, says Sheik Ismail, vice-president of Concord Exotic Voyages. Many of them have turned to selling fish and vegetables to survive. He says though the industry has many associations and leaders, they have failed to raise funds for their needy colleagues. Some of them are selfish and request things for their own benefit and not for the entire industry, he says. Excerpts from an interview: Q: Kerala’s travel and tourism sector has been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. The state is hugely dependent ... Read more

John George, Unimoni’s national head (travel & holiday business), feels tourists should be made aware of all the measures taken by the hospitality and transportation sectors to make their travel safe and hygienic. Since people always have the basic instinct to travel, the sector will surely bounce back, he says. Excerpts from an interview: Q: It has been a tough time for the global tourism industry, ever since the advent of the pandemic. As Unimoni’s product head of holidays business, how do you assess the situation? Yes, we should admit the fact that tourism is one of the worst affected ... Read more

Raj Gopaal Iyer, CEO of UDS Group of Hotels, believes Kerala should have the right marketing strategies to showcase medical and leisure tourism. The state government should come up with a proper agenda/plan to submit before the Central government, thereby helping employees retain their jobs, he says. But the biggest problem he believes is the poor air connectivity to Thiruvananthapuram, with tourists ending up spending more on airfare than accommodation. Excerpts: Q: When we spoke a few weeks ago, the coronavirus crisis was on its ascendency. But now we are in a phase where the virus is spreading at an ... Read more

Riaz Ahmad, managing director of Abad Hotels & Resorts, has been in the hospitality sector for many decades, braving umpteen challenges. But even for someone like him, the coronavirus pandemic has presented an unforeseen situation. In this interview he talks about how his company is preparing for the future, keeping the interest of the employees in mind. Often the government ignores the sector as there is a perception that tourism is a business of the wealthy, he says. Excerpts: Q: It’s great to see Abad group reopening its properties across Kerala. How was the lockdown experience at Abad group? What ... Read more

Maneesha Panicker is the founder of Silk Route Escapes, an experiential travel company that wants to handpick experiences that bring you closer to India’s culture. She is a former New Yorker who knows the heart of an avid traveller. Maneesha’s latest project is Kayal, an Island Retreat in the backwaters of Kerala. At Kakkathuruthu, she has built an intimate 4-cottage resort where fisherfolk and farmers share their life with guests, not far from the ancient port city of Kochi. She feels Kerala built too many hotels and houseboats and choked the backwaters here. We have to learn to tread carefully ... Read more

The world is grieving. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a stir all over the globe creating a sense of fear, restlessness and uncertainty. Whereas, this small state in India – Kerala – located down on the southern tip, has caught global attention with its efforts to tackle the pandemic spread. The care and foresight of the Kerala government and the higher officials from the health department helped to identify, analyse and curb down the chaos in the initial stages itself. Kerala’s efficiency in treating foreigners from other countries has been applauded by the world countries. Even at the peak of ... Read more

Ayurveda is the biggest revenue earning sector as far as Kerala Tourism is concerned.  Ayurveda tourism in Kerala comprises two categories  1.    Wellness Ayurveda2.    Therapeutic Ayurveda The first one is more connected to the tourism angle and are mostly represented by beach properties. This segment has always attracted great demand. Around 65% of the Ayurveda clients come into this category out of which most are international guests. They take a 7-28 day programme when the international season kicks in from  September to April. This year also most of the resorts were running full house from last October till the lockdown was implemented. The ... Read more

Will the state government’s move, allowing for deferment of fixed electricity charges for a period of six months, help the hospitality industry? The sector had asked for a waiver of fixed charges, but that demand was not met. Tourismnewslive.com quizzed a number of leading industry players about this, seeking their comments. Over to their views. Chacko Paul – Managing Director -The Travancore Heritage Chowara & Lepondy, Pondicherry Hospitality industry is one of the highest tax generating as well as the biggest provider of jobs. But it is also the worst affected sector due to this Covid-19 pandemic. In this present ... Read more