Thiruvananthapuram: Kovalam’s traditional patronisers, the English, seem to have kept away from the beach destination for yet another tourist season. Russians, Romanians and the French constitute the largest chunk of foeign tourists at the beach. Traditionally, tourism season in Kerala begins when the English escape their autumn by descending on the beaches of Kovalam that the Guardian had a decade ago described as “sun-kissed, wave-caressed, and wheat-complexioned” and on which "rocks are scattered like polka dots on soft fabric".
However, for the last eight years, the Islanders have generally been cold towards Kovalam. This season will be no different. The Guardian, which greatly influences the travel decisions of the British, has not included Kovalam in its list of must-visit destinations this winter too. Kovalam is not even included in the best 10 tropical destinations in Asia. But what will be more damaging for Kovalam is the inclusion of its nearest rivals Goa and Pondicherry, and also its global competitors like Sri Lanka, Cambodia in the Guardian’s annual Top 10 lists, especially its ‘Top 10 Winter Sun Holidays to Book Now’.
Goa, Pondicherry and Sri Lanka have been presented as “Asia’s best affordable winter-sun idylls”, in other words good-value options. “It is a clear hint that Kovalam properties make tourists pay through the nose,” said top tourism official. The usual suspects Bali and Thailand, too, have found a place in the list. The emphasis on cost is no surprise as Britain continues to be ravaged economically.
A fall in the purchasing power of rand that seems to have prompted the Guardian to pick South Africa, a place normally avoided during winter. The Guardian has been ignoring Kerala for the last seven years, and all this while the big charters that flew in hundreds of English tourists had stopped coming. The tourism industry in Kovalam is aware of the Guardian’s power as an opinion maker. The paper’s online offering is the third most widely read in the world.
