World class facilities to attract and retain visitors

To attract and force the first time visitor to spend more time on a particular resort Kerala state as a whole needs to revamp its tourism infrastructure and add more amenities and other facilities at affordable costs. Many a time, it was seen that the first time visitor had a feeling that he did not get what he had paid for. It meant that in many of the prominent tourism destinations in other parts of the globe, more amenities were on offer and that too at lower costs than that being offered in Kerala.

In addition to the need for better tourism infrastructures, the tourist must be given the freedom of choice. Unnecessary rules and regulations must be totally abolished. It includes those procedures which either help or hinder tourists within the country from visiting places of tourist interest. It includes all the regulations they have to comply with on departing from the country and also at the point of entry. When the destination country makes easier it for the tourist to arrive, move around freely and depart comfortably, the better are its chances of attracting high spending tourists.

Compare the infrastructure facilities on offer at the prominent places of tourist interest in Thailand and Kerala. Both these places have the same monsoon climate and natural vegetations. Kerala has an edge over Thailand in many other natural medicinal systems like ayurveda and scores of other unexplored natural wonders. Even then, it is a sad fact that Kerala is not able to attract even a small fraction of the huge number of tourists that flock to Thailand. The main reason for such a situation can be easily summarized.

Thailand has made a name for itself in offering tourism infrastructures at rock bottom prices. Almost all the hotel rooms in the beach resorts and in the vicinity of other places of tourist interest are booked to capacity all through the year. In sharp contrast, the hotel rooms even in the prominent beach resort Kovalam are vacant during most part of the year. Only through a change in approach can the state of Kerala achieve much in the long run.