Despite ayurveda being one of the renowned attractions of the state, tourism stakeholders’ express dissatisfaction and claim that Kerala Tourism has failed to harness its full potential.
It is learnt that the ayurveda and wellness industry contributes to 70-80% of the tourism sector’s foreign exchange revenue. They allege that the tourism department is misallocating resources and neglecting the globally recognised Ayurveda sector. The glass bridge and floating bridge projects, expected to become significant tourist attractions, have not lived up to expectations. Critics argue that these projects do not leverage Kerala’s unique strengths, reported The New Indian Express.
In 2021 and 2022, foreign exchange earnings from tourism amounted to Rs 461.50 crore and Rs 2,792.42 crore respectively. In the 2020 fiscal, the foreign exchange earnings stood at Rs 2,799.85 crore. Before the Covid pandemic, the foreign exchange earnings stood at Rs 10,271.06 crore.
Though ayurveda tourism has contributed significantly to the economy of Kerala, with a revenue of Rs 35,168.42 crore in 2022, the stakeholders feel that Kerala Tourism is not earmarking enough funds for promoting and marketing ayurveda tourism nationally and internationally, the news report by The New Indian Express added.
Kerala has at least 450 genuine traditional ayurveda centres, properties and resorts. “Kerala has always been synonymous with ayurveda. Tourists from across the globe come here seeking authentic wellness experiences. Monsoon is expected to arrive by May end but the tourism department has done nothing to promote ayurveda wellness and monsoon tourism which bring a large share of foreign exchange earnings to the state. The Tourism sector generates more foreign exchange earnings than the IT or fisheries sectors. Unfortunately, this segment is being neglected,” Sajeev Kurup, President of the Ayurveda Promotion Council (APC) told The New Indian Express.
Stakeholders feel that the involvement of the state government and tourism department has come down to zero when it comes to promoting ayurveda wellness tourism.
“People from all over the world know the healing touch of ayurveda and want to experience it. Many of us have been in this industry for over three decades and we have invested a lot and it’s our responsibility now to bring our clients from all over the globe so that we can generate revenue and meet the running cost,” said Kurup.
According to stakeholders, the ayurveda sector is providing livelihood for a minimum of 30,000 people. The industry expressed deep disappointment as Kerala Tourism didn’t take part in the Arabian Travel Mart held in May.
“There was no presence of Kerala Tourism at the Arabian Travel Mart. Arab countries are a potential market for Kerala. When Kerala experiences monsoon, it’s summer in Arab countries. Monsoon is the ideal time for ayurveda treatment. We the stakeholders are independently doing the marketing without the help of the government,” said Baby Mathew, CMD, Somatheeram Ayurveda Group.
He alleged that the advisory committee under the tourism department hasn’t met for more than a year. “Earlier they used to call meetings every six months. We used to get the opportunity to raise our concerns. Now no interaction is happening, said Baby Mathew, who is also the executive member and immediate past president of Kerala Travel Mart.
Kerala Tourism has hosted one of the biggest investors’ meets recently to woo investments. According to the stakeholders, the department is doing nothing to help these investors build their businesses.
