It’s time for another adventure
Capturing even a small percentage of Adventure Tourism can put Kerala’s tourism revenues into a completely different league, and the good news is that we have the natural resources to do that.
Newer trekking trails are mushrooming across the state, whether it is Kannur in the north or Trivandrum in the south.
Kerala has long been famed for its natural beauty, its beaches, mountains, rivers and valleys. Every marketing campaign of Kerala Tourism harps on the stunning views and spectacular locations, yet we, as a state, are yet to fully leverage these in an inclusive manner that enables visitors to immerse themselves in our natural ecosystems. Increasingly, travellers want to “do”, to “experience”, to “be part of it”, to be “immersive” – a pointed divergence from traditional sightseeing holidays. Capturing even a small percentage of Adventure Tourism can put Kerala’s tourism revenues into a completely different league, and the good news is that we have the natural resources to do that. Many other parts of India suffer from other factors such as challenging weather conditions (Himalayas) or remote access and challenging connectivity (North East). But Kerala is fortunate to have excellent connectivity, a relatively small geographic footprint where different locations are not too far away from each other, fairly benign weather and a highly educated population. In addition, adventure tourism scores highly on positive local community impact and employment generation since it is almost entirely service based.
Adventure tourism made its entry into Kerala in the early 2000s, and gained steam after 2010 with numerous entrepreneurs across the state offering a myriad of activities. Wayanad in the north and Idukki in central Kerala are popular for amazing trekking trails through plantations and forests. The views are breathtaking and the deep insight into the local flora fauna when going with a trained activity guide is certain to kindle a love for nature even in the most cynical of minds. Newer trekking trails are mushrooming across the state, whether it is Kannur in the north or Trivandrum in the south. Cycling is another activity that has attracted guests from across India and abroad – the undulating landscape and interesting local sights en route keeps travellers engaged, offering a far closer engagement with the local community than is ever possible in a taxi. Cycling trails are popular all along the coast given the flat and easy terrain, but many enthusiasts also love to explore the hilly regions of Idukki and Wayanad on cycles too.
Kerala has numerous waterways, big as well as small, so adventure tourism entrepreneurs have been eager to offer water based activities such as kayaking, bamboo rafting, canoeing etc, in the gentle placid waters. These are available all across the state, though popular locations include Vembanad Lake, Ashtamudi kayal and the Valiyaparamba backwaters, of north Payyanur. Even Kerala’s Minister of Tourism, Mohamed Riyas and his family enjoyed some kayaking in Kannur district, which greatly aided the popularity of the activity.
In addition to these, Kerala offers numerous outdoor activity options – be it scuba diving in Kovalam, surfing, camping, 4×4 rides etc. A relatively newer activity that is increasingly gathering steam is Zipline rides – first introduced by Muddy Boots in Wayanad in 2010, ziplines ranging from small 100meter ones to giant ones several hundreds of meters long have appeared across the length and breadth of the state. Ziplining is a fairly safe activity offering a great adrenaline rush, as long as it’s constructed and operated according to safety guidelines.
Adventure tourism scores highly on positive local community impact and employment generation since it is almost entirely service based.
Speaking of Zipline, the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society was also nominated as the apex body for facilitating and regulating adventure tourism in the state. This was a very welcome move – it is essential that the government ensure that adventure tourism activities are conducted in a safe and responsible manner. After a two year hiatus because of COVID, registrations, inspections and licensing has resumed and is expected to cover all adventure tour operators in the state. The Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS) has also begun to offer courses in adventure tourism and nature based tourism, so as to build resource pool of skilled, trained resources. All of this will greatly help assure travellers, especially those from abroad. Recent pronouncements by the government suggest that adventure tourism is one of the key focus areas for the future. For this to happen, the inspection and licensing must continue, and also importantly, Kerala must be marketed globally as an adventure tourism destination. This can be in the form of targeted marketing campaigns, assistance for entrepreneurs in this space, participation in adventure tourism focussed international shows and incentives for development of adventure tourism. As an industry, we are confident that adventure tourism in Kerala is headed for a golden future, as the government and the industry continue to work together in a holistic fashion.