Forget the posh hotels, come, explore the villages

The soul of India lies in its rural heartlands. It’s this core that the State Tourism Department is focusing on. The reality of rural tourism being a bankable and viable proposition was not lost on our authorities concerned. Though it was mulled upon as a revenue option, no concrete planning had gone into it so far, for the simple reason that the department was laboring under the huge misconception that foreign tourists had a yen only for luxury hotels, continental food, and swanky cars to travel in.

That myth was busted when a handful of enterprising and resourceful people lured tourists away from star hotels with the promise that they would be treated to Nature’s plenty in all its purity. They were promised that home stays would open up an expanse of tourism possibilities through an economic, yet comfortable setup.

The viability of popularizing homestay tourism and other initiatives will find a voice when the tourism department and kerala homestay and tourism society will jointly hold a homestay-rural tourism meet at Bolgatty Palace on September 15. Around 129 stalls have been readied for the program which will see foreign and native tourists and other stakeholders participating. Rural tourism takes you to the villages, the green lung of the urban swirl.

Tourists from foreign shores were taken to humble village abodes. Soft mats made from screwpine leaves (thazhappa) spread on coir-laced beds were the special beds and a leaf full of umikkari (burnt paddy husk) mixed with salt, the natural alternative to chemical-charged toothpastes.

Breakfast was the best part - with a live demo of how a steamed dish emerged out of a bamboo cylinder to take the shape of God’s own puttu. The puttu was served on fresh plantain leaves and the aroma of freshly pounded rice, coconut and plantain leaves covered the air. 

Forget the posh hotels, come, explore the villages
Tourists visiting the villages. Photo: Onmanorama

The tourists just loved the sights and sounds of the villages. The toddy-tapper with his sickle, knife and bottle gourd vessel climbing up sinewy coconut trees with just a tiny rope for support blew their breath away. It was a treat to taste the sweet toddy.

Hard to believe, yet so true was the sight of women beating golden strands out of dry coconut husks and twining them into ropes with their bare hands. Weaving mats from coconut leaves were yet another picture for them to gaze at. Cameras and smartphones flashed as the guests posed for an umpteen number of selfies.

The best sight was when local fishermen cast their nets into the backwaters for the day’s catch. They watched as the catch was pulled up and asked for more such sights.

Thrilled to bits after auto rides, they were in no way repelled to take a local boat, reeking of sardines, as they cruised down the placid waters of the Vembanad. The tourists got what they had come for … to feel the heart of the land, its smell, its sights, its food and a taste of life at its unalloyed best.

This could explain how the video of a local woman with her prize fish catch became a global hit. She came with her locally-made fishing rod, caught what she wanted, slit it clean and cooked it, all in one go by the steps of the river. This was an occasion to be caught and preserved on camera, unlike the natives for whom such sights are passé. The visitors were happy to be left alone. They chilled out drinking in the beauty of the rustic landscape.

Forget the posh hotels, come, explore the villages
Fishing. Photo: Onmanorama

Such ventures have brought to the fore the importance of homestays. London’s hit “Bed and Breakfast” scheme which gave a huge boost to the city’s tourism initiatives is a venture worth emulating. Bed and Breakfast offer stay at affordable rates along with a simple breakfast. Kerala’s home stays are modeled after the British initiative. Though this has brought in extra income for several families, there has not been much of an effective drive to make this a popular and viable alternative source of tourism revenue. 

Though there are homestays spread out everywhere, The Tourism Department has no clear or specific data on the exact number of such facilities. Unofficial estimates have put the number of homestays at 4,000 and of these, only 838 have been granted official permission to function. This means that a whole lot of homes have been doing business with least regard for the department’s guidelines. A majority of home stays are clustered around Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Idukki districts.

People shy away from running homestays and applying for permits because of the official baggage involved. Heavy taxes, unwieldy electricity bills and loads of paperwork are deterrents. However, tourism director P.Balakiran said a lot of changes have been brought in to ease the burden of power bills and other taxes. The department is working on bringing the whole lot of homestays under a common official tourism umbrella. The department is now working in tandem with the homestay and tourism society to bring about an effective change in the business set up.

Homestays are the most effective means of popularizing and marketing the hospitality, life, culture, traditions, food, and festivals of Kerala. The Tourism Department has a list of officially okayed home stays on its website. This has come as a blessing for tour operators. 

More tourists can be brought in to home stays only if they have a spotless reputation and visitors can vouch for their trustworthiness. The guidelines have made it compulsory that tourists can be had in only those homestays where families reside. As a matter of fact, it’s not just foreign tourists who are drawn to Kerala’s homestays. Native tourists too have found in them an attractive alternative.

Village tourism has also found a prominent niche in the center-sponsored Rs 100 cr high range tourism initiative. 

Also read: The 25-year-old who is hitchhiking his way solo around the entire nation

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