Geography project

Kerala
Name: Anshika Jain
Class: X-B
Session: 2019-20
 Index
TOURISM IN KERALA
▪ INTRODUCTION
▪ DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOURIST PLACES
▪ ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM
IN KERALA
▪ HOW TO TRAVEL KERALA
▪ IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM IN KERALA
▪ GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF
TOURISM IN KERALA
▪ PLACES FOR TOURIST INTEREST
▪ ECO-TOURISM IN KERALA
▪ PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS RELATED
TO TOURISM
▪ BIBLIOGRAPHY
 INTRODUCTION
Kerala, a state situated on the tropical Malabar
Coast of southwestern India, is one of the most
popular tourist destinations in the country. Named as
one of the ten paradises of the world by National
Geographic Traveler, Kerala is famous especially for
its ecotourism initiatives and beautiful backwaters. Its
unique culture and traditions, coupled with its
varied demography, have made Kerala one of the
most popular tourist destinations in the world.
Growing at a rate of 13.31%, the tourism industry is a
major contributor to the state's economy.

Beach in Kerala
Until the early 1980s, Kerala was a relatively
unknown destination, with most tourism circuits
concentrated around the north of the country.
Aggressive marketing campaigns launched by
the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation—the
government agency that oversees tourism prospects
of the state—laid the foundation for the growth of the
tourism industry. In the decades that followed, Kerala
Tourism was able to transform itself into one of the
niche holiday destinations in India. The tag
line Kerala – God's Own Country was adopted in its
tourism promotions and became a global super
brand. Kerala is regarded as one of the destinations
with the highest brand recall. In 2010, Kerala
attracted 660,000 foreign tourist arrivals.

Sitar-Kollam view
Kerala is an established destination for both domestic
as well as foreign tourists. Kerala is well known for its
beaches, backwaters in Alappuzha and Kollam,
mountain ranges and wildlife sanctuaries. Other
popular attractions in the state include
the beaches at Kovalam, Varkala, Kollam and
Kappad; backwater tourism and lake resorts
around Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam; hill stations resorts
at Munnar ,Wayanad , Nelliampathi
, Vagamon and Ponmudi ; and national parks and
wildlife sanctuaries at Periyar
,Parambikulam and Eravikulam National Park. The
"backwaters" region—an extensive network of
interlocking rivers, lakes, and canals that centre
on Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam, also see heavy tourist
traffic. Heritage sites, such as
the Padmanabhapuram Palace, Hill Palace,
and Mattancherry Palace, are also visited. The city
of Kochi ranks first in the total number of international
and domestic tourists in Kerala. To further promote
tourism in Kerala, the Grand Kerala Shopping
Festival was started by the Government of Kerala in
2007. Since then it has been held every year during
the December–January period.

Eco-tourism in Kerala
The state's tourism agenda promotes ecologically
sustained tourism, which focuses on the local culture,
wilderness adventures, volunteering and personal
growth of the local population, Efforts are taken to
minimize the adverse effects of traditional tourism on
the natural environment, and enhance the cultural
integrity of local people.
 DIFFERENT TYPE OF
TOURIST PLACES
There are six main types of tourist places. Given as
follow:
1] Beaches-
Flanked on the western coast by the Arabian Sea,
Kerala has a long coastline of 580 km (360 mi); all of
which is virtually dotted with sandy beaches.

Vembanad beach
Kovalam beach near Thiruvananthapuram was
among the first beaches in Kerala to attract tourists.
Rediscovered by back-packers and tan-seekers in
the 1960s and followed by hordes of hippies in the
1970s, Kovalam is today the most visited beach in
the state. Other popularly visited beaches in the state
include those at Kappad, Alappuzha, MararBeach
(Mararikulam, Alappuzha), Nattika (Thrissur),
Vadanappilly beach (Thrissur) , Beypore beach,
Marari beach, Fort Kochi, and Varkala.
The Muzhappilangad Beachat Kannur is the only
drive-in beach in India. Marari beach was rated as
one of the world’s top five HAMMOCK BEACH by
National Geographic survey. Payambalam beach is
one of the most beautiful beaches in Kerala situated
in Kannur. Other beaches in Kannur include baby
beach, meenkunnu beach, azhikode beach,
madaiparra beach, chootath beach, mermaid beach.
2] Backwaters-
The backwaters in Kerala are a chain
of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to
the Arabian Sea coast (known as the Malabar
Coast). Houseboat or Kettuvallam rides in the
backwaters are a major tourist attraction. Backwater
tourism is centered mostly around of Kerala
like Alleppey,Kumarakom, Ashtamudi
Lake, Kollam and Bekal. Boat races held during
festival seasons are also a major tourist attraction in
the backwater regions.
The backwater network includes large lakes such as
the Ashtamudi Lake, the largest among them, linked
by 1500 km of canals, both man-made and natural
and fed by several rivers, and extending virtually the
entire length of Kerala state. The backwaters were
formed by the action of waves and shore currents
creating low barrier islands across the mouths of the
many rivers flowing down from the Western
Ghats range.

Backwaters view
Backwaters in Kerala for honeymoon and family
holiday are quite popular. You may short some best
Kerala backwaters tour packages after reading about
Kerala backwaters reviews available on various
websites.
3] Hill station-
Eastern Kerala consists of land encroached upon by
the Western Ghats; the region thus includes high
mountains, gorges, and deep-cut valleys. The wildest
lands are covered with dense forests, while other
regions lie under tea and coffee plantations
(established mainly in the 19th and 20th centuries) or
other forms of cultivation.

Peermade hill
The Western Ghats rise on average to 1500 m
elevation above sea level. Some of the popular hill
stations in the region are Munnar, Vagamon,
Paithalmala ,Wayanad,
Nelliyampathi,Elapeedika,Peermade, Thekkady and
Ponmudi.
4] Wild life-
Most of Kerala, whose native habitat consists of wet
evergreen rainforests at lower elevations
and highland deciduous and semi-evergreen forests
in the east, is subject to a humid tropical climate.
However, significant variations in terrain and
elevation have resulted in a land whose biodiversity
registers as among the worlds most significant. Most
of Kerala's significantly biodiversity tracts of
wilderness lie in the evergreen forests of its
easternmost districts. Kerala also hosts two of the
world’s Ramsar Convention-listed wetlands: Lake
Sasthamkotta and the Vembanad-Koll wetlands are
noted as being wetlands of international importance.
There are also numerous protected conservation
areas, including 1455.4 km2 of the vast Nilgiri
Biosphere Reserve.
 Wonderful seen of wildlife
5] Waterfalls-
Kerala is popular for having numerous majestic
waterfalls. These scintillating cascades are famous
picnic spots and excursion destinations round the
year. The luscious Kerala waterfalls are a sight your
eyes will never tire of feasting upon. Some waterfall
names are given below:

o Adyanpara falls, near Nilambur.

o Aruvikkuzhi, near Maramon,
Kozhencherry in Pathanamthitta District.
o Aruvikkuzhi, near Pallickathode, Kottayam
District.
o Athirappilly Falls 80 ft (24 m).

o Charpa Falls.

o Cheeyappara Falls, near Adimali.

o Chethalayam Falls, in Wayanad.

 o Kumbhavurutty Falls in Kollam district.

o Lakkom Water Falls.

o Palaruvi Falls

6] Lighthouses-
Lighthouses are the main centre of attractions of
Kerala beaches and coast line. There are 15
lighthouses in the entire state of Kerala. Districts
of Kollam, Kannur, Kozhikode, Alappuzha, Thrissur a
nd Thiruvananthapuram have more than one
lighthouse.
Major Lighthouses
❖ Alappuzha Lighthouse, Alappuzha
❖ Azhikode Lighthouse, Thrissur
❖ Cannanore Lighthouse, Kannur
❖ Chetwai Lighthouse, Thrissur

❖ Anjengo lighthouse, Thiruvananthapuram

❖ Kovilthottam Lighthouse, Kollam

❖ Beypore Lighthouse, Kozhikode

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF
TOURISM IN KERALA
Tourism is an important contributor to the growth of
service sector in Kerala. The total revenue (including
direct and indirect means) generated from tourism
during the year 2015 comes to Rs.26,689.63crores
showing an increase of 7.25 per cent over the last
year. During the last decade, the total revenue from
tourism registered a compound annual growth rate
(CAGR) of 11.33 per cent. It grew from 7,738 crores
in 2005 to 26,689.63 crores by 2015. The annual
growth rate of income from tourism reveals a
fluctuating trend between 2005 and 2015. Between
2013 and 2015, a declining tendency of the growth
rate was noticed: from 12.22 per cent in 2013 to 7.25
per cent by 2015.Foreign Exchange Earnings-The
foreign exchange earnings from tourism increased
from 1552.31 crores in 2005 to 6949.88 crores by
2015 registering a CAGR of 14.6 per cent. The
earnings from foreign tourism showed a steady
increase over the years, except for the year 2009
when the global financial crisis affected the flow of
foreign tourist Arrivals and led to a decline in foreign
exchange earnings. Figure 9.8 captures the data on
foreign exchange earnings of Kerala over the last ten
years.Trends in foreign exchange earnings of Kerala
from 2005 to 2015, in crore
Foreign exchange earning in KeralaWhile analysing
the data on the annual growth of foreign exchange
earnings, a declining trend in the growth rate has
been noticed over the last three years. Figure 9.9
shows the annual growth rate of foreign tourist
earnings from 2005 to 2015.Trends in foreign
exchange earnings of Kerala from 2005 to 2015, in
per cent.

Foreign exchange earning in Kerala

Domestic Tourism Earnings-The domestic tourist
earnings increased from
Rs12981.91crore in 2014 to Rs13836.78crore by
2015. The CAGR of domestic tourist earnings over
the last ten years was 11.25 per cent. The domestic
earnings from tourism during the year 2005
were Rs4281.42crores which rose
to Rs13836.78crores by 2015. Appendix 9.8 shows
the foreign exchange earnings and domestic tourist
earnings including revenues from indirect sources
from 2005 to 2015.Tourism and Employment-The
contribution of tourism to total employment has direct,
indirect and induced impacts. Jobs generated by
tourism are spread across the economy directly in
tourism sectors like travel agencies, accommodation
sector, and airlines and indirectly to retail,
construction, manufacturing and
telecommunications.According to a study "Regional
Tourism Satellite Account for Kerala and Madhya
Pradesh 2009-10”, commissioned by the Ministry of
Tourism, Government of India, the tourism sector has
generated over 14 lakh jobs in Kerala. The total
number of jobs created directly and indirectly by the
sector between 2009 and 2012 turned out to be
23.52 per cent of the total employment in Kerala.
.
 HOW TO TRAVEL KERALA
By Air
Kerala is the second state in India to have four
international airports, namely Trivandrum
International Airport, Cochin International Airport,
Calicut International Airport and Kannur International
Airport (which is yet to become operational). Kollam
Airport is a domestic airport in Kerala that offers
connectivity among major cities of the state itself.
One can easily find themselves an economical flight
to Kerala via any of the major airlines, which is why a
majority of travelers opt for flights.
Travelers in the southern part of Kerala find it easy to
access Thiruvananthapuram International Airport,
whereas travelers in the central part of Kerala use the
Kochi International Airport. In the northern side of the
state, travelers access the Calicut International
Airport.
By Train
Kerala has more than 200 railway stations,
connecting various major cities as well as small
towns of the state. Direct trains to various
destinations in Kerala can be availed from major
Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai,
Bangalore, and Kolkata, among others. Superfast
and express trains such as Rajdhani and Duronto
connect the larger junctions, whereas mail and
passenger trains are also easily available. Kerala's
railway network runs from Kasargod, a northwestern
point of the state, to the southwestern
Thiruvananthapuram.
By Road
Kerala is connected to most nearby states via well-
maintained roads. Private taxis and buses are easily
available in all major and minor parts of the state.
Travelers from nearby destinations can also opt to
drive their own vehicle to Kerala. Luxury overnight
buses, some with built-in bathrooms, are available
from destinations such as Alleppey, Kannur,
Ernakulam, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kozhikode,
Palakkad, Wayanad and Thiruvananthapuram for
various other cities across the state.
 IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM
IN KERALA
٠ Earns foreign exchange without exporting.

٠ Promote hub for economic development.

٠ Generation of employment opportunities.

٠ Helps to improve per capita income and standard

of living.

٠ Facilitates development of basic infrastructural

facilities.

٠Tourism promotes related industries such as

handcrafts, spices, coir, textiles, Gems and jewelry
and furnished goods.

٠ With active involvement of private entrepreneurs

new and new tourism related business projects will
come up.

٠ Generates income for the government.

٠ Enhance multiplied effect.

٠ Promoted social mobility.

Pie char of tourist interest

Dances in Kerala
 GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM
IN KERALA
In the book KERALAS Economic Development –
Performance and Problems in the Post-Liberalization
Period by B. A. Prakash, there is an article on
Tourism Development in Kerala by Nalini Netto which
says that Kerala has emerged as an undisputed
tourism hotspot of India with its catchy promotional
logo “God’s Own Country”. National Geographic
Traveler, in a landmark issue in 2000, rated Kerala in
‘Paradise Found’ category. Ever since the govt. of
India declared tourism as an industry in 1986 and
Kerala was the first state to declare so, Kerala is
doing aggressive marketing of tourism product by
establishing “Tourism Mart” in Kochi which has its
links with national and global tourism bodies like
South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange, Travel
Agent Association of India (TAAI), Pacific Asia
Tourism Association (PATA) etc.
Government of Kerala is also playing role of facilitator
and regulator for the prosperity and growth of the
tourism sector by encouraging private participations
in the sector.
Government is providing subsidy of 10 percent on
capital investment in the sector subject to maximum
10 Lakh with additional subsidy of 15 percent on the
investment in pollution control facilities and
equipment

.
Map of Kerala
Kerala with 600 Km coast line offers one of the best
beaches in India. Western Ghats provide few finest
hill stations for summer resort. Rich ecological forest,
wild life reserves and backwaters provide a full eye
soothing natural beauty to the state. Ayurveda, the
health tourism product is another USP of Kerala
Tourism due to abundance of herbs and medicinal
plants.The earnings from tourism in the state in 2001
were estimated to be Rs. 535 crore. This book also
emphasizes that this sector still has unused potential
which if utilized in an environmentally conscious way
can generate more revenue for the state and the
country.

Map of Kerala
 PLACES FOR TOURIST
INTREST
▪ Alleppey – The backwater hot spot
▪ Munnar – Perfect for a romantic honeymoon
▪ Kumarakom – One of the most tranquil places
▪ Wayanad – The land of heavenly trails
▪ Thekkady – For the love of wildlife
▪ Kovalam – For some beach fun
▪ Vagamon – Solitude guaranteed!
▪ Bekal – Nothing less than heaven on Earth!
▪ Kozhikode – For authentic Malabar cuisine
▪ Varkala – One of Kerala’s most scenic seasides
▪ Kannur – The picture-perfect coastal town
▪ Kasargod – A coastal paradise in Kerala
▪ Kizhunna Beach – For complete solace
▪ Idukki – The true gem of Kerala
▪ Munroe Island – For an exciting canal cruise
▪ Kavvayi Backwaters – The stunning backwater
landscape
▪ Kuttanad – Rice bowl of Kerala
▪ Thrissur – Experience rich cultural heritage
▪ Palakkad – A nature’s delight
▪ Malappuram – Vedic learning and Islamic
Philosophy Centre
▪ Poovar – The tropical stay paradise
▪ Ponmudi – The Golden Peak
▪ Guruvayur – A spiritual spot

Pictures related to topic

 ECO-TOURISM IN KERALA
● Eravikulam National Park

● Thenmala
● Neyyar
● Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary

● Periyar
● Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary
● Konni
● Gavi
● Nelliampathy
● Pathiramanal

● Kumbalangi
● Kuruva
● Poovar
● Thommankuthu
● Rhodo valley
 STRENTHS AND WEAKNESS
OF TOURISM
Strengths of Kerala Tourism:
(i) Excellent geographical features, extremely
serene environments that attract tourists the world
over – lakes, hillocks, vast coastal areas, network
of 44 rivers, waterfalls, lush green paddy fields,
sprawling plantations, exotic wildlife etc. Well known
destination for medical tourism; both
„Ayurvedic‟centres and world class health care
(modern medicine) at cheap rates. Above all, the
world famous brand, „God‟s own Country‟ also.
(ii) Recognitions and awards, both from National
and International agencies. Six times winner of Best
Tourism state from Govt. of India.
(iii) Consistent increase in the number of tourist
arrivals, both domestic and foreign.
(iv) In respect of foreign tourist arrivals, Kerala in one
among the best 10 states in India.
(v) One of the highest growth rates in tourist arrivals.
The number of tourist arrived in Kerala in 2006 is
4.28 lakhs in 2006 as against 3.46 in 2005. (13.14 %
increase)
(vi) About 10% share of Kerala in Indian tourism.
Weaknesses of Kerala Tourism:
(i) The share of Kerala in Indian tourism is wavering
at about 10%, not increasing over the years. In 2003,
it was 10.81% which declined to 8.85% in 2005 and
slightly improved to 9.67% in 2006.
(ii) Not among the best ten states in India in tourist
arrivals (domestic), though one among
the best ten in foreign tourist arrival and that too
eight.
(iii) Gross underutilization of the excellent tourism
potentialities of the state, hence there is an urgent
need for scaling up of tourism initiatives for optimal
results.
(iv) Kerala lags behind all the three south Indian
states in tourist arrivals, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
and Karnataka.
(v) Under-utilization of immense tourism potential,
like the classic tourist attractions like House Boats,
Tree Houses etc.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
REFRENCES TAKEN:
PICTURES-
● keralatourism.org
● keralatravels.com
● pinterest.com
● thehansindia.com
● tourmyindia.com
CONTENT-
● traveltriangle.com
● wikipedia.org
● keralatourism.org
● kerala.gov.in
● lonelyplanet.com
● wikitravel.org
● britannica.com
● indiatoday.in
● firstpost.com