Summer In The Country

In India, no debate on tourism is complete without a reference to Kerala. As one of the fastest-growing tourism economies in the world, Kerala has transformed itself from a politically volatile state to become 'God's Own Country'. The main people behind it were a handful of bureaucrats who realised that tourism could be a key economic driver for the state. Today, a few of them are fanning out across the country in a bid to recreate the same magic in states like Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, and even at the Centre.

Meet A. Jayathilak, MD, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board; Ashish Kumar Singh, MD, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation; and Amitabh Kant, joint secretary in the ministry of tourism and chairman of itdc. The trio, handpicked (separately) by the powers-that-be to replicate the Kerala model, have been given a free hand. While Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi was instrumental in roping in Jayathilak, Kant got his new job soon after the PM's vacation in Kumarakom, Kerala, two years ago.

Despite the political backing, the Kerala alumni will need to build the right product for each state. Says Kant, "Kerala had just one destination to boast of and that was Kovalam. We created new ones like the backwaters and Ayurveda." So, can it be replicated in a new environment? It certainly looks so, going by the strategies chalked out by the three.

In Chhattisgarh, Jayathilak has decided to hardsell eco- and ethno-tourism, bringing to the fore hitherto unknown facts about the state's virgin forests. The state also has some of the country's largest waterfalls and deep caves and is known for its tribal culture and handicrafts. "Handicrafts are a great tourism booster and through the Bastar brand we are going to project the bell-metal and wrought-iron crafts produced here," he says.

mtdc's Singh has decided to develop the famed Konkan coast as an alternate to the French Riviera, and Nashik as a new wine region. Singh also talks of running a luxury train, The Deccan Odyssey, along the lines of the Palace on Wheels, and promoting historic sites like the Lonar crater, one of the oldest meteoric craters in the world. Once he puts his plan in action, Singh believes that by 2006-07 he can double the current annual tourist traffic of eight lakh.

At the Centre, Kant has kicked off the Incredible India advertising campaign, an attempt to sell the country as a high-value destination. He's putting to use one of the main lessons he learned in Kerala: never sell your destination cheap. For example, Kovalam used to attract plane-loads of London cobblers who would spend measly sums. Kant banned these air charters, a move that initially raised a lot of flak. But thanks to such moves, the per capita tourist spend in the state has now gone up from $35-40 per day in 1995-96 to $60-80 in 2001, even as the country's average hovers around $30.

So the intentions are good, but will lack of funds continue to be a bottleneck? Tourism has always been treated as a low-priority sector by both the Centre and the states. In Chhattisgarh, says Jayathilak, the yearly budget was a paltry Rs 1.7 crore which has been increased to Rs 10.5 crore. In a tourism-active state like Kerala, the annual budget is around Rs 50 crore. Since a state like Maharashtra is several times bigger than Kerala, "the funds available per square kilometre are extremely small", says Singh.

The situation may improve and there are two reasons for this. One, the Centre has increased the outlay for tourism five-fold in the 10th Five Year Plan. In addition, the trio is busy attracting investments from the private sector and bilateral sources. In recent times, Maharashtra has spent Rs 128 crore on the restoration of the famed Ajanta-Ellora caves, and another Rs 300 crore has been promised by the Japanese government for the resurrection of the entire cave circuit in Maharashtra.

Going by the Kerala experience, where tourism got an impetus due to public-private cooperation, the Kant-Singh-Jayathilak trio is trying the same in their respective geographies. "In Kerala, we never attended any travel mart without taking a delegation from the private sector," recalls Kant. In the same tradition, Singh has initiated the privatisation of several mtdc properties, and Jayathilak is outsourcing everything from e-mail management to the preparation of project reports in Chhattisgarh.

Still, infrastructure will continue to be a big hurdle. The advantage that Kerala had was its three international airports. Maharashtra has the benefit of its capital Mumbai, which is the preferred entry point for 90 per cent of all international tourists. But, says Ranjit Malkani, chairman and ceo of Kuoni Travels, "While Rs 150 crore has been spent on the development of Ajanta and Ellora, the flight connections to Aurangabad are only in and out of Mumbai."

Jayathilak too is lobbying with the government to get a better air network in the state, a straggler on development indices. As Kant puts it, "All marketing efforts have to be backed up by good infrastructure. We have to create a memorable experience for the tourist from the point of arrival to the point of departure." The issue becomes critical when one realises political patronage may not last forever. Also, if the crack team is unable to deliver results in a short time, the local bureaucratic opposition could increase further.

Kant admits that at itdc there's a lot of day-to-day fighting and he never forgets that he "is in a transferable job". Singh too has ruffled a few feathers in Maharashtra in his bid to shake up things. Says Kant, "Whatever you do, there will be opposition. Or else you can become a part of the status quo." Jayathilak is the only one who isn't feeling the heat too much. But that's because he's on a three-year deputation, did not inherit any bureaucratic baggage, and has a less-sought-after job due to the low budgets.

However, such problems don't bother these seasoned campaigners too much. They have learnt to live with it. More than that, they have the strong support of the travel industry. Says travel consultant Rabindra Seth, "The central government was waiting for someone like Jagmohan (the tourism minister) and Kant to come and give it direction." As S.K. Misra, ex-tourism secretary and now vice-chairman of intach, puts it: "I feel optimistic. Things are on the right track and moving."