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IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563Vol. 2, No.6, December 2012A STUDY ON COMMUNITY TOURISM AND ITS IMPACTIN KERALA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TOERNAKULAM DISTRICTVINAY RAJ RAsst.prof.De Paul Institute of Science & TechnologyDe Paul Nagar, Angamaly South, 683573Ernakulam District, Kerala, IndiaABSTRACT: Kerala, a state situated on thetropical Malabar Coast of south western India,is one of the most popular tourist destinations inthe country. Named as one of the ten paradisesof the world by the National GeographicChannel, Kerala is famous especially forits ecotourism initiatives Its unique culture andtraditions, coupled with its varied demography,has made Kerala one of the most popular touristdestinations in the world. Tourism industry is amajor contributor to the state's economy.Ernakulam District is a district ofthe state of Kerala in southern India.Ernakulam, the commercial capital of Kerala,served by an international airport, finecommunication facilities, excellentaccommodation, modern amenities and a lot ofattractive tourist places gives a breath takingexperience for its visitors and settlers. Thedistrict took its form on 1st April 1958, bycarving out the areas of erstwhile Travancore,Kochi & Malabar kingdoms. The wordErnakulam was derived from a Tamil word'Erayanarkulam' which means 'Lord Shiva'sabode'. The commercial capital of Kerala andthe most cosmopolitan of Kerala’s cities, Cochinis a fascinating blend of cultures. From timeimmemorial, it has been the favorite destinationof globe-trotters and explorers.IntroductionTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World TourismOrganization defines tourists as people who"travel to and stay in places outside their usualenvironment for more than twenty-four (24)hours and not more than one consecutive yearfor leisure, business and other purposes notrelated to the exercise of an activityremunerated from within the place visited."Tourism has become a popular global leisureactivity.THE MARVEL CALLED KERALAWedged between the Western Ghats on the Eastand the Arabian Sea on the West, the narrowstrip of land known as Kerala is a destination ofa lifetime. The timeless beauty of the palmfringed beaches of Kovalam and Varkala, themajesty of the undulating hills of Munnar andVagamon, the serenity of the pristine backwatersof Kumarakom & Kuttanad and the enchantingwoods and forests of Thekkady and SilentValley will have you bowled over. That such asmall terrain can hold diverse geographicalfeatures and cultures is a wonder in itself.Key Words: Eco Tourism, Ernakulum,Commercial Capital, Fascinating574

IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563Vol. 2, No.6, December 2012TYPES OF TOURISMAll types of tourism in India have registeredphenomenal growth in the last decade eversince the Indian government decided to boostrevenues from the tourism sector by projectingIndia as the ultimate tourist spot. The reasonwhy India has been doing well in all types oftourism in India is that India has always beenknown for its hospitality, uniqueness, and charm– attributes that have been attracting foreigntravelers to India in hordes. The Indiangovernment, in order to boost tourism of variouskinds in India, has set up the Ministry ofTourism and Culture. This ministry recentlylaunched a campaign called ‘Incredible India!’in order to encourage different types of tourismin India. The result was that in 2004, foreigntourists spent around US$ 15.4 billion duringtheir trips to India. Being a country withtremendous diversity, India has a lot to offer interms of tourism and related activities. Thediversity that India is famous for ensures thatthere is something to do for all tourists in India,no matter what their interests. Some examplesare.OUTDOOR TOURISMThe Indian subcontinent is a geographicallyvaried land form that contains dense jungle,pristine coasts and the highest mountain rangein the world, the Himalayas. These mountainsare among the most popular destinations onEarth for hikers, mountaineers and climbers, andthey offer nearly endless possibilities fortrekking adventures. In the lowlands, the forestsof India are home to exotic wildlife, includingthe rare white tigers of Bandhavgarh NationalPark, and they are popular destinations forsafaris and ecological tourism. The variedbeaches of India are popular with surfers,divers, sailors and sun worshipers.SPIRITUAL TOURISMThe birthplace of Buddhism and Hinduism andhome to hundreds of monasteries and ancienttemples, India may be the top destination in theworld for spiritual tourism. The TibetanBuddhist exile community in Dharamsala ishome to the Dalai Lama and attracts soulseekers from across the globe. The holy city ofVaranasi sits on the banks of the Ganges Riverand draws hordes of international tourists to itsghats and towering Hindu temples. Manymodern international spiritual movements, suchas Vipassana, are based in India and followerscome to <strong>study</strong> and meditate with the masters inthe home country.SIGHTSEEING TOURISMIndia is a popular country for historicalsightseeing, and the country's thousands of yearsworth of monuments and architecture are someof the world's most spectacular. The Taj Mahalwas built in the 17th century by a Mughalemperor in Agra and is now a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site. The 10th century Hindu templesof Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh feature carvedstone walls that depict the decant life of thosetimes, including sexual encounters.YOGA TOURISMA health phenomenon that has taken the worldby storm, yoga is based on ancient Indianscriptures and practices, and many modernpractitioners consider a trip to India the must-dotrip of their life. The southern city of Mysore ishome to several schools that teach Ashtangayoga, and yoga ashrams can be found all overthe country. Tourists come to partake in weeklongretreats, months-long certificate programsor even years of dedicated training.LEISURE TOURISMIndia is also a global hot spot for those who justwant to party or relax. The seaside town of Goahosts large parties and raves as well as a varietyof festivals on its white sand beaches. Luxuryresorts that offer all-inclusive holidays line thesouthern Goan coast and the idyllic AndamanIslands.575

IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563Vol. 2, No.6, December 2012ERNAKULAM DISTRICTErnakulam District is a district ofthe state of Kerala in southern India. The districtincludes the largest metropolitan region of thestate Greater Cochin. Ernakulam District is thehighest revenue yielding district in the state andis called and known as the commercial capital ofKerala. It is surrounded by Thrissur District tothe north, Idukki District to theeast, Alappuzha and Kottayam districts to thesouth and Arabian sea to west. Its headquartersis located at Kakkanad, a suburb of Kochi city.The language people speak in Ernakulamis Malayalam which is the mother-tongue of theState of Kerala. English is widely used inbusiness circles. From ancienttimes Arabs, Chinese, Dutch, British andPortuguese seafarers followed the sea routeto Kingdom of Cochin and left their impressionsin the town. The word Ernakulam was drawnfrom the words Erayanar and kulammeansabode of Lord Shiva temple near pond.Ernakulam District was formed on 1 April 1958,from the taluks of Aluva, Kunnathunadu, Kochi,Kanayannur, and Paravoor, which were formerlypart of Thrissur District. Initially the districtheadquarters was at Ernakulam, which gave thedistrict its name; the headquarters was latershifted to Kakkanad. When Idukki District wasformed on 26 January 1977, Thodupuzha talukwas joined with Idukki and Muvattupuzha talukseparated form Kothamangalam taluk.The famous Sivarathri at the AluvaManappuram (situated on the banks of riverPeriyar) in Aluva attracts people from differentparts of the country. There are lots of old SivaTemples in Ernakulam. In Sanskrit "Siva"means kalyan (good wishes, doing good andtaking care of all).Adi Shankaracharya was bornin Kalady and considered as a major pilgrimagecentre for Hindus around the world.KallilKshethram (Jain temple) near Perumabavoor isalso very famous.The world famous Christianpilgrim center at Malayattoor is in this district.The festival here lasts for 10 days in April. St.George Church at Kadamattam is very old andwas founded by Mar Abo Metropolitan in 5thCentury A.D. He brought a cross from Persia,which is still preserved in the church. Thefestival at the church of Vallarpadam onSeptember 24 attracts people belonging to allreligions. The icon of Virgin Mary in this churchis credited with many miracles. St. GeorgeForane Church at Edappally, which was foundedin 593 A.D., is considered to be the oldestchurch in Kerala after the 7 churches foundedby St. Thomas. St. Antony’s church atKannamaly is famous for the Feast of St. Josephon March 19 where a large number of peopleare fed.One of the ancient mosques in Kerala is atKanjiramattam. Chandanakkudam Festival inKanjiramattom Mousque is veryfamous.Thrippakudam Temple- Ana KallayaKulam -PARVATHIMANGALAM is thefamous pooja in this temple.ArayankavuThookkam- Otta Thookkam and GarudanThookkam is very famous.Cherai Pooram isfamous festival in island. Celebrating this fullmoon day having two purposes. Fields are readyfor cropping, Start cropping with prayers andsome auspicious puja. Next reason is People areready to go in to sea. So on this day women ofIndia generally having fasting of full day andpray for her brothers, father, husband andNation’s victory.Famed for its natural harbour,one of the finest in the world, Cochin has earnedthe sobriquet “Queen of the Arabian Sea.”Cochin is one of India’s most interesting cities.Here we can see the oldest church in India. Theancient temples, churches and synagogues inthis district are of special interest to thearchaeologists and historians. Cochin port is oneof the largest in India. The entire Island i.e.Wellington, Bolgatty, Gundu, Fort Cochin andVypeen are connected be ferry. Bridges and roadconnect Ernakulam with Willington Island,Vypeen and the fort cochin/Matte cherry. Thesea along the entire coast of the district and thebackwaters abound in fish of various kinds offerenormous natural facilities for both marine and576

IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563Vol. 2, No.6, December 2012inland fisheries. Kochi is an ideal place thatsupports fisheries in its various aspectslike education, research and development.The famous Sivarathri at the AluvaManappuram (situated on the banks of riverPeriyar) in Aluva attracts people from differentparts of the country. There are lots of old SivaTemples in Ernakulam. In Sanskrit "Siva"means kalyan (good wishes, doing good andtaking care of all).Adi Shankaracharya was bornin Kalady and considered as a major pilgrimagecentre for Hindus around the world.KallilKshethram (Jain temple) near Perumabavoor isalso very famous.The world famous Christianpilgrim center at Malayattoor is in this district.The festival here lasts for 10 days in April. St.George Church at Kadamattam is very old andwas founded by Mar Abo Metropolitan in 5thCentury A.D. He brought a cross from Persia,which is still preserved in the church. Thefestival at the church of Vallarpadam onSeptember 24 attracts people belonging to allreligions. The icon of Virgin Mary in this churchis credited with many miracles. St. GeorgeForane Church at Edappally, which was foundedin 593 A.D., is considered to be the oldestchurch in Kerala after the 7 churches foundedby St. Thomas. St. Antony’s church atKannamaly is famous for the Feast of St. Josephon March 19 where a large number of peopleare fed. One of the ancient mosques in Kerala isat Kanjiramattam. Chandanakkudam Festival inKanjiramattom Mousque is veryfamous.Thrippakudam Temple- Ana KallayaKulam -PARVATHIMANGALAM is thefamous pooja in this temple.ArayankavuThookkam- Otta Thookkam and GarudanThookkam is very famous.Cherai Pooram isfamous festival in island. Celebrating this fullmoon day having two purposes. Fields are readyfor cropping, Start cropping with prayers andsome auspicious puja. Next reason is People areready to go in to sea. So on this day women ofIndia generally having fasting of full day andpray for her brothers, father, husband andNation’s victory.Famed for its natural harbour,one of the finest in the world, Cochin has earnedthe sobriquet “Queen of the Arabian Sea.”Cochin is one of India’s most interesting cities.Here we can see the oldest church in India. Theancient temples, churches and synagogues inthis district are of special interest to thearchaeologists and historians. Cochin port is oneof the largest in India. The entire Island i.e.Wellington, Bolgatty, Gundu, Fort Cochin andVypeen are connected be ferry. Bridges and roadconnect Ernakulam with Willington Island,Vypeen and the fort cochin/Matte cherry. Thesea along the entire coast of the district and thebackwaters abound in fish of various kinds offerenormous natural facilities for both marine andinland fisheries. Kochi is an ideal place thatsupports fisheries in its various aspectslike education, research and development.TOURIST PLACESBastion BunglowBuilt in the Indo-European style way back in1667 AD, Bastion Bungalow get its name fromits location on the site of the Stromberg Bastionof the old, Dutch fortBhoothathankettuScenic dam site with boating facilities issituated in a vast virgin forest. It is a popularpicnic sport with Salim Ali Bird Sanctuarynearby.BolgattyBolgatty palace built by the Dutch in 1744.Later it became the seat of the British Residentof Cochin. Today it is a hotel run by K.T.D.C.The grounds have a small golf course & severalvantage points for lovely views of the harbour &the seaCherai BeachCherai Beach offers a unique combination ofsea and backwaters rimmed by lush greencoconut palms.577

IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563Vol. 2, No.6, December 2012Children's ParkA high-tech children's Park with Non-Conventional Energy Museum and MusicalFountain. The Children enjoy a lot with thefacilities available here.Chinese Fishing NetsA legacy of the trading connections betweenChina and India many centuries ago. The longrows of Chinese nets silhouetted against thesunset present a spectacular sight of Cochin'swaterfront.Chottanikkara TempleMother Goddes worshipped in three differentforms - as Saraswati in the morning - draped inwhite, as Bhadrakali at noon draped in crimson,and as Durga in the evening decked in blueDutch PalaceThe Dutch palace or Mattancherry palace wasoriginally built by the Portuguese and presentedto the Raja of Cochin, Vera Kerala Parma in1555. It was later taken over by the Dutch whoimproved it through extensions and repairs in1663.Thrikkakara TempleThe "Vamanamoorthy" temple has notableinscriptions dating back to the 10th-13th centuryWillington IslandA manmade island named after Lord Willingtona former British Viceroy to India. CochinHarbour, Southern Naval Command, Best hotelsin the city, Port Trust head quarters, majortrading centers etc. are situated at WillingtonIsland.COMMUNITIESThis district is listed as the "most advanced"district in Kerala .It is urbanised47.55%. Hindus accounts for the largestcommunity followed by Christian and Muslims.A small population of Jains, Jews and Sikhs arealso residing in Kochi. Also, Ernakulam districthas the highest number of Christian Populationin India (More than 12 Lakhs).COMMUNITY TOURISM (Tourism thatbenefits local people)Community tourism (sometimes calledcommunity-based tourism) is a form of tourismwhich aims to include and benefit localcommunities, particularly indigenous peoplesand villagers in the rural South (ie 'developingworld'). For instance, villagers might hosttourists in their village, managing the schemecommunally and sharing the profits. There aremany types of community tourism project,including many in which the 'community' workswith a commercial tour operator, but allcommunity tourism projects should give localpeople a fair share of the benefits/profits and asay in deciding how incoming tourism ismanaged.Community tourism should.1. Be run with the involvement and consent oflocal communities.(Local people should participate in planning andmanaging the tour.)2. Give a fair share of profits back to the localcommunity.(Ideally this will include community projects(health, schools, etc).)3. Involve communities rather than individuals.(Working with individuals can disrupt socialstructures.)4. Be environmentally sustainable(Local people must be involved if conservationprojects are to succeed.)5. Respect traditional culture and socialstructures.6. Have mechanisms to help communities copewith the impact of western tourists.7. Keep groups small to minimise cultural /environmental impact.8. Brief tourists before the trip on appropriatebehaviour.9. Not make local people perform inappropriateceremonies, etc.10. Leave communities alone if they don't want578

IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563Vol. 2, No.6, December 2012tourism.(People should have the right to say 'no' totourism.)IMPACT IN ERNAKULAM DISTRICTAfter finding out what the customer wants orneeds, the product (or service) is developed tosatisfy those needs and then it is promoted atprices mutually acceptable to both producer andconsumer. There are various genres or fields thatmarketing is involved in, all of which take adifferent approach. These include directmarketing where individual customers arecontacted personally, public sector marketing(political parties are the clear leaders in this areaof marketing, but other public sector agenciesrun marketing programs to promote theirservices), relationship marketing (buildingloyalty such as through frequent flyerprograms), social marketing (includingeducational programs such as the ‘drink drive’programs where an attempt is made to alterbehaviour) and destination marketing (gettingpeople to visit places, keeping them there andgetting them to come back again). A corecomponent of the modern economy is that ofservice provision. Services are intangible in thatthey cannot be tested without using them beingin separable from the provider / producer andthey have a strong people presence in anytransaction. Being intangible, services cannot beseen, tasted, felt, heard or smelled before theyare purchased, so we need to provide some typeof tangible evidence or representation (such asbrochures).WHAT ERNAKULAM HAS TO FOCUS ON ?If the current market is suitable and desirable,strategies to continue to support and developthem can be developed .However, if thecommunity wishes to broaden ore ven change the type of visitor; they needto understand the nature of different marketssegments and niches. Understanding marketsegmentations is a continual process, but some of themore common segments that many communitiesare interested in attracting include:• Nature or eco travellersFocus on learning, experiential activities andefforts that support conservation•Outdoor enthusiastsActive holiday-makers Natural, healthy food•Heritage travellersOnce the community’s assets (supply) and thepotential tourist’s interests and needs (demand)are established, short and long-term projects canbe identified and prioritized according to theirvalue to the community, value to the tourist andtheir advantage over competing communitiesCONCLUSIONOnce the group is gathered, a VisionStatement is required that identifieswhat is really valued and desired for thecommunity. Under pinning thestatement will be a set of goals thatneed to be articulated and agreed upon, suchas the number of jobs, for whom, at what payscales, for what seasons, or to encourage new residents,retain young members of the community and soon. While agreeing on this is important, therealso needs to be a commitment from thecommunity to work to achieve the vision. Nowthat the community knows who is visiting themand what they want for their future, they mustunderstand what they actually have in theircommunity by undertaking a Product Inventory.This is primarily a list of all existing attractionsand tourism-related facilities that is then ratedon their value to the tourists and theircompetitive advantage. In addition, thecommunity’s infrastructure needs to beassessed so that the capacity to support anexpanding tourism industry cans bedetermined. Of particular concern are water,sewerage, and waste disposal and transportationsystems.579

IRACST- International Journal of Research in Management & Technology (IJRMT), ISSN: 2249-9563Vol. 2, No.6, December 2012REFERENCE• Singh, T.V. & Singh, S. (1999). Coastaltourism, conservation and thecommunity: case of Goa. In Tourismdevelopment in critical environments• Denman, R. (2001). Guidelines forcommunity-based ecotourismdevelopment• Gutierrez, E., Lamoureux, K., Matus, S.& Sebunya, K. (2005). LinkingCommunities, Tourism & Conservation• Murphy, P.E. & Murphy, A.E. (2004).Strategic management for tourismcommunities, bridging the gaps. ChannelView Publications• Karan Singh, Indian Tourism-Aspects ofa great adventure, Dept. of Tourism,New Delhi, 1980• Tapan K. Panda, MarketingManagement, Excel Books, 2006• Mann, M. (2000). The communitytourism guide. London: EarthscanPublications Ltd.• Kataz,Nathan,(1995),Studies of IndianJewish Identity,Manohar Publications• Kolanand, Gitanjali (1994),CultureShock, A survival Guide to Customs &Etiquette, Marshall Cavendish ,TimesPublishing Limited• Rao, Venkat, Swamy,Anjaneys, (2011),Tourism Rntrepreneurship.Excel Books• Kerala Must See Destination,TouristGuide Book, DEE BEE info Publications580