A Study on the Current and Future Impacts of the Political System on Kerala’s Tourism Sector

Abstract

Tourism is one of the predominant sectors of the economy of Kerala. Tourism in Kerala attracts millions of foreign and domestic visitors and garners revenue that totals to around 20,000 crores. Generating over a million employment opportunities and supporting the skilled and non-skilled labour equally, the tourism and hospitality industry is an inevitable part of the economy. Kerala is a preferred destination for its luxurious Ayurveda spas, backwater resorts, exquisite home stays, hill top bungalows and beach properties. Despite the commendable service and good performance of the hospitality industry, frequent civil disturbances have been identified as a major threat to the tourism industry. The State experiences hartals almost every fortnight resulting in businesses to shut down and offices and other undertakings forced to cease their operations causing huge losses to the economy. The ―dawns to dusk hartals‖ are very common in Kerala during which the residents and the local population suffer as there is an unavailability of transportation, retail shops to buy the basic necessities, lack of public facilities like banks etc. Many tourists get stranded in airports, railway stations and bus stops as there are no transportation facilities available for reaching their destination. This paper attempts to study the impact of civil disturbances on the functioning of the tourism industry in Kerala