8
NETWORK We invite our readers to contribute to the Network Letter by
NEWS
sharing their work ideas and plans through these pages.
Communication i, vital to the life ofa Network especially when
ROUNDUP physical distances cannot eastly he hridged hy closer contact).
Ecumenical Coalition on Third \Q)rld 1burism, Banltlkok
EQV\,'T has moved to a new location in Bangkok. In an interview with CCA
Executive Secretary says ECTWT focusses on 3 areas:
of tourism, to encourage alternative modes of
theological reflection' within the church. A 3-year
programme on Child prostitution is on the cards. Write
CONTOURS, to: ECTWT, POBox 24, Chorakhebua,
(cables: CONTOURS BANGKOK, Phone: 510-7287).
Centre for ~esponsible Tourism, USA
CRT, which coordinate'S the North American Network on Third World Tourism
(NANET), plans to produce a number of directories, including an Alternative
Travel Experience Guide. NANET and ECTWT are co-sponsoring an
international conference, Tourism in Hawaii in the summer of 1989. Request
information from: Virginia Hadsell, Director, CRT, 2 Kensington Road, San
Anselmo, Ca 94960, USA.
International Bureau of Social Tourism (BITS), Bel~ium
BITS represents the trends of European tourism, of moderate income tourism
in particular. Established as a result of the Brussels Congress in 1963, it
coordinates member activities, and provides information on cultural matters,
as well as regarding sodo-economic impacts. We extend our warm greetings
to BITS, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Write for their bulletin, BITS
Information, to: Dr Arthur Haulot, Secretary General, BITS,S, Boulevard de
l'lmperatrice, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.
Eastern Mic~an University, USA
Inter Cultural Travel: Education Services, Sri Lanka The sexist and racist advertising indulged in by the Tourism Department of the
10: ES has brought out the first issue of 'Sri Lanka Profiles' - a quarterly that
"gives readers in the First World nuances ofthe reality in Sri Lanka beyond the
black and white presentation of news reaching them': This first number profiles
the issues at stake in the Uva province - a potential tourist zone. Subscriptions
US $ 4.00 annually, from Mrs. S. Perumal, 288, D.S. Senanayake Veediya, Kandy,
Sri Lanka.
SOLWODI (Solidarity with Woman in Distress), Germany
From their Newsletter NO.9 (April 1988), we learn that SOLWODI has now been
registered in West Germany, where Sr Lea Ackermann proposes to establish
a Centre. To be located at Boppard (near Koblenz), the Centre wi II provide
assistance to Third World women trapped into prostitution on arrival in
Germany. Contact Sr Ackermann, Clo SOLWODL Probsteistr. 2, Hirzenach,
5407 Boppard 3, West Germany.
Published by: Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS), 96, H Colony, Indiranagar Stage I, Bangalore 560038, INDIA.
Design and Phowlypesetting: Revisuality Digitised Typesetting and Graphic Design, 47/1 L3velle Road, Bangalorp, India.
Operation Peace Thr011\lh Unity. New Zealand
Peace through Unity's founders are: Anthony Brooke and Gita Keiller Brooke.
"We believe': writes Gita, "that we, the people of the world, are confronted
with a very real and profound challenge to affirm the truer and nobler values
we know will, when expressed in service, bring about a new and better world':
They publish a newsletter, "Many to Many'~ which is a communicating link
between the peoples of the world, as well as, "an instrument for the furthering
of better human relationships based on deepening mutual understanding and
the aspiration to promote unity and cooperation beyond all d!fferences".
Elsewhere in this newsletter we carry their proposals for an alternate tourism.
Write to: 4 All ison Street, Wanganui, New Zealand.
RESOURCES
Tourism Alternatives Exchange, Issue 1, July 1988, EQUATIONS, Bangalore.
Rs. 10 in India, US $2.50 elsewhere to cover postage costs.
This new publication, to be issued occasionally, will incorporate serious articles,
features, rese.arch reports and book reviews on Third World and alternative
tourism. Issue 1ofTAE includes a critique oftourism in Ladakh (Kashmir, India),
a debate on wildlife tourism and a review of Rosemary Jommo's 'Indigenous
Enterprise in Kenya's Tourism Industry'.
The Traveller: The Travailed, audio-visual (100 slides/tape, 20 mins.),
EQUATIONS, Ban galore. Not yet priced.
Based on the doctoral thesis of Suhita Chopra, and produced for EQUATIONS
by Aavishkar, this audio-visual examines the impacts on rural life in Khajuraho.
ramed for its erotic temple sculpture, this small village in Centrallndra is now
a maior tourist resort. Decreed by government as an urban area to facilitate
2,700 residents have today been pushed to the
available from EQUATIONS.
Tourism - Its Effects on Women in Goa, Bailancho Saad (A Women's
Collective), 304, Prema Building, Rua de Ourem, Panaji, Goa-403 001, India.
Government of Goa and the hoteliers has, besides distorting the image of
women in Goa, led to sexual harassment. The bookiet is a report to the people
of the consequences of such tourism promotion: prostitution, nudism and
temporary or seasonal employment. Copies available from Bailancho Saad,
at Rs 11 in India and US $3.00 elsewhere.
The Great Escape? An Examination of North South Tourism, by E.
English, The North-South Institute, 185 Rideau Street, Ottawa, Ci3J1ada KIN 5X8.
Price $9.50.
Citing evidence from numerous studies across the world, this book analyzes
the economic, social and cultural implications of the tourist flow between
industrialized and developing countries. The study recommends policies
necessary to maximize the economic benefits of tourism while minimizing
its negative socio-economic consequences.
ALTERNATIVE NETWORK LETTER
A Third World Tourism' Communic'ation
And Infonnation Alternative
For Private Circulation Only Vol. 4 No. 2 August 1988
t's been a long time since any two people meant the same thing while
I talking of 'alternative tourism~ For some in the industry, the term refers to
low-budget travel. For others, it means marketing off-beat destinations and
KOVALAM: Paradise Lost
unset time in Kovalam. A tourist in her mid-forties, wearing only a
S
packages, such as camel-back holidays in the deserts of Rajasthan. Even among
critics of tourism (especially Third World tourism) consensus is rare. From bed G string, is rollicking in the waves and enjoying the cool breeze when
and breakfast with host families to total-immersion experiences of a nation's suddenly out of nowhere two local' youths appear on the shore and
calmly begin to inspect the bag left there by the swimmer. Seeing this the woman
urban, rural and tribal life, numerous varied forms and models are advocated.
raises acry for help and begi ns to swim towards the shore. By then the youths
By now, the ugly truth about international tourism is well known. We, the
have made good their escape. The woman rushes to the restaurants on the shore
critics, have paraded it naked before the wide world. Unprotected by the aura
and oleads with the other tourists to help her but gets no response. She sits
of glamorous images created by the adman (of sun and sand, of myth and
shore, weeping silently - her well planned holiday has come to a sad
mystery), modern-day tourism is increasingly recognised for fhe parasite it is,
her oassoort, travellers cheques and bel ieve it or not even her clothes
far from the paradise it claims to be. Confronted by falsehoods of its own
has is her G
the industry responds with 'truth in advertising': the picture of a poor
old waif replaces that of the dark-haired, sloe-eyed, nubile native away, amidst the coconut groves that line the beach atall white­
German is striking a deal with a few locals for a packet of heroin he
Sex tours are out, mail-order brides are in. The leopard's spots
has smuggled across to India. In one of the hotels in Kovalam an Indian tourist
is roughed up by a few thugs and told fo run for his life.
EDITORIAL Kovalam, the long sandy beach near Trivandrum, is Kerala's biggest tourist
attraction for tau rists from abroad and outside the state. But the growth in tourist
traffic has resulted in it becoming a centre for drug dealers, flesh traders and
Yet, it is hard to believe that the international tourism industry (and the
underworld dons. All this has led to the unsuspecting tourist getting a raw deal.
leconomic systems that perpetuate it) will undergo adramatic overnight
upheaval in favour of justice and truth, that somehow the milk of human Kovalam has two beaches: The Lighthouse Beach which locals call Howa
kindness will overflow the profitability curves. Given the impossibility of the beach (Eve's Beach) with its innumerable huts and makeshift restaurants that
naysayers' dream, it is evident that criticism must continue, combining pop up when the tourist season starts; and the main beach, also known as the
judiciously with confrontation and campaigns, undergirded by unassailable ITDC beach. This is acleaner beach where a tourist can enjoy the sea without
credibility, and fueled by conviction. getting his belongings stolen or the fear of being beaten up by thugs for not
paying them for the prostitutes they promise but never deliver. This beach has
Promoting any kind of international tourism - even alternative we are
life-guards and ITDC security personnel in the vicinity. Ironically, the danger
however faced with an inherent question of priorities: is this primarily an elitist
zone in the main beach is close to the hotel run by the state government. A
concern? The average Asian or African has far less opportunity for travel than
part of the mai n beach is cordoned off by the ITDC for its guests..
the average European or North American. But given the possibil ity that
irked many social activists in the city because they felt that it was discriminatory
critical consumer (or alternative tourist) could turn out tomorrow's conscious
to the local population and was ':<\partheid by ITDC': But after a while, the hue
crusader for Third World causes, alternative tourism might well olav a crucial
and cry in the local media died down. The cordon still exists.
role in shaping a new worldview.
It is only recently that the beach resort has become a major tourist centre
Moreover, in countries like ours, where a diversity of
due mainly to the ethnic problems in Sri lanka which has diverted alarge chunk
landscapes, religions and lifestyles co-exist, not always in harmon"
of tourists towards Trivandrum and from there to Kovalam. The growth potential
domestic tourism is a potential binding force. Social and economic
of the tourist trade is expected to be so heavy that from October to May the
are minimal, and vast amounts of scarce public resources need not be
ITDC is planni ng to operate charter flights from abroad to Trivandrum. Water
squandered on creating exclusive (defined as 'useless for most') facilities.
sports will be the major attraction for the foreign tourists. While the tourist
The Club of Rome warned us fifteen years ago of the consequences of
promotion agencies are busy planning for the growth, the resort has developed
exponential economic growth, yet tourism has paid little heed. Though the into one of the major vice centres of the state, the source for drugs like heroin
boom years are not yet over, there are signs that all is not well. The client is
conrd. owrif'di
the mindless member of a bovine herd, driven at the will of the
Imnlino it, nIIP<;tirmAhh" nml1llrt Frnlnov shrieks its shrill protest,
The World Tourism Organisation is consideri ng establishing an Institute for
Alternative Tourism. The timing is propitious and significant. So too we note
the formation of an AT Research Unit at the University of Ottawa in Canada.
The quest for planet-friendly tourism cannot be an individual journey, it requires
the strength of people from both within and outside the industry.
Paul Gonsalves
 2 7
New Tourism
contd. from page 7
and brown sugar and call girls from allover the country. Along with them has
cropped up the retinu.e of thugs, pedlars, pimps, gigolos and racketeers.
'Abman tourists from abroad are the main customers of the pedlars and these
women are later used as couriers by the drug racketeers. Many of the drug
pedlars (also known as"beach ooys') are gigolos too and they have their own
retinue of women who feed them and keep them happy by buying their drugs.
These boys have no educational qu~lifjcation worth speaking about, but speak
English in a heavy American accent and are well-versed with the Top of the
Charts in London or USA. Many women spend all their money on drugs and
when they don't have anything to fall back on, but need drugs, take to
prostitution. Many a photographer has ventured to Lighthouse beach during
the early morning or sunset to shoot women tourists in G strings and found
ready models. But all the same, afat sum of money has to be doled out, failing
which the beach boys would fall upon him and confiscate his camera. Even
the unsuspecting Indian tourists who come to Kovalam to ogle at the women
sunbathing are ~sked to give baksheesh for the display.
The call-girl racket is widespread and girls arrive from allover the South to
Kovalam. Private hotels here like Sun and Waves were at one time hot spots
for the flesh traders. But recently the new Circle Inspector T R Mohan and his
Sub-Inspector Gopalkrishnan launched a clean up drive. When the drive was
first launched, many top officials including a DIG rang up and asked them to
stop the raids. An emissary came from one of the hotel owners and told the
police officers that amounts ranging from Rs. 10,000 to. Rs. 50,000 will be paid
to them if they called off the raid. But fortunately the direct superiors of the
police officers were in tune with the drive against the call-girl racket in Kovalam.
Police constables were posted outside the hotels and the moment the clients
arrived, they were nabbed.
The cleansing drive was not without its after effects. An MlA went to the then
Chief Minister, Karunakaran, and asked him to transfer the 51 and CI. Some of
the police constables were on the payroll of the hotel owners and gave them
tipoffs about raids. As soon as the state elections were announced, the police
were ordered to stop all activities and the flesh trade has begun once again.
But investigating the call-girl racket, reveals that even government run hotels
(there are two of them in Kovalam) have links with the flesh traders.
Tourists h:lVe now started a new racket whereby they sell off their cameras,
VCRs orothervaluables and lodge a report to the police station that they were
stolen. All they need is a FIR from the police registering the case. Since the
goods are covered by insurance companies back home, a FIR from India gets
them their money and at the same time they can spend the money got out of
selling the items in India for their holiday.
With all its natural beauty Kovalam could turn into a haven for tourists if the
authorities were to give attention to the law and order in the region. The police
force, badly equipped and short of manpower and pressurised from the top,
is fighting a losing battle. The drug racket that is destroying the youth in the
state and the call-girl racket that is prevalent on the beach has to be curbed
immediately if Kovalam has to develop into a major tourist centre without
destroying the social fabric of the capital city and the populace of the beach.
Ayyappa Prasad
THE SUNDAY OBSERVER - 26 April 1987
Financing Agency proposed
International liaison Officers:
The Department of Tourism has proposed setting up of a separate financing
agency for the tourism industry. The proposed agency will have an initial capital
afRs. 100 crores. The Department which is having a dialogue with the Finance
Ministry at present is pressing for a debt equity ratio of 10: 1 so that the agency
could raise loans worth Rs. 1,000 crares.
Creation of a separate funding agency is part of a comprehensive ~cheme
aimed at boosting the tourist trade. Estimates show that in the next five years
a sum of Rs. 2,000 crores would be required to meet the cost of creating basic
infrastructure for developing tourist centres.
Official sources point out that though "tourism has been accorded the status
of an industry, the concessions given to the other industries have not been fully
extended to this industry". It is pointed out that income tax
of a marketing development fund and rebate on interest on loans etc.
denied to the industry.
The Department of Tourism has suggested to the Finance Ministry that the
should be recognised as an export-oriented and priority industry.
ECONOMIC TIMES, 19 April 1988
NEW TOURISM
Aims and Aspirations
envisions 'i nternationalliaison officers' whose main function would be to
1) to assist in the creation of increased opportunities for people to meet one seek, receive and distribute information about the needs and wishes of
another and experience each others' way of life, people within different countries,
2) to help re-connect with the essence of every culture, so that the future may -- assesses and suggests services and cooperation which could be offered to
be bui It on the best from the past and the potential of the present, provide for the<;e needs and wi~h('s.
3) to assist III the and meaning
to every area
4) to provide new work opportuniti('s and develop a de-(entrali~('d network
of co-opertive enterprises within each country, which will be This is the vision of NEW TOURISM
for creating NEW TOURISM outlets in close cooperation With
(from PEACE THROUGH UNITY)
and with great sensitivity to the uniqueness of the natural environment
tht> area.
Therefore every co-worker will endeavour
opportunity to transform, lift and expand the concept of tourism
into a healthv and health-bringing business
to and nurture a sense of wonder and appreciation 01 life on
this planet
to co-operate with already existing endeavours in this field of
Clearing Houses
are envisaged, which could consist of the following fdcllitie~:
* A place where representative~ of the ho::.t country welcome the visitor. Each
country would express its welcome in accordance with its own tradition
and choice.
* An information centre, divided up into two sections.
- one in which the client can auietlv brew over and decide about travel
another in which bookings elc. are made.
* Video equipment, showing up-to-date films, familiarising the visitor with
available choices.
* A small exhibition, consisting of samples of various arts and crafts from A New Internationalist Traveller's '-UUIS
within the country, with information about the artists.
* A short term overnighting facility (2-3 days), modest, affordablp and beautifu:.
* A bus depot, caribicycle/boat!sk; renting office, small air strip or holimntor
"pace ...
* A place of silence, open to all.
Such clearing houses would need to have access to a co~nputer ~ystem, :>rtc>n •• :>tl>
for keeping constant contact with other clearing houses.
Welcome to ocr place:
One of the most crucial cond itions for realisi ng the 'aims and aspi rations' of
Nl:W TOURISM would be the emergence of small places, run on a family basis,
which would welcome smaller groups of people and give them an experience
to the country and its people in some particular way: e.g. through art~
farming, trekking experiences etc.
It is hoped that this particular aspect of tourism will grow and expand within
each country, finding its own unique expression and providing welcome work
opportunities for many, especiallv in remote areas.
Soa~ lAl~y~ eM"loy ~The cw~. Lc:x:al
NEW TOURISM also to introduce:
;>~Ie Rhb\A) be~r i1'lcM yOA vJhat-s wrovu, wtf11.
new types of re-creation for people who are tired and weary: who may ile t>lac.e. YrM Cd'1 alLUalfs ~,~ wltt1 it1ei('
need a 'sabbatical' or post-operative recuperation. CD~p laiAts (~~,..
new types of holiday-camps (children and grandparents together, tours
and expeditions to suit different needs and remedy various
'deficiencies')
new and alternative ways of helping children and youngSTer
problems (drugs, first time offenders, victims of abuse of
 6 3
Master Plan Shelved
PANjlM The famous Master Plan which generated so much controversy has
been given aqu iet burial by the Goa government. At a meeting of the Steering
Committee for the Master Plan it was quietly decided to abandon it.
The Tourism Department and the town planners who together produced the
Master Plan, suddenly discovered six months after the Plan was fornlllbtprl
that it was not in consonance with the state Regional Plan.
In fact, areas proposed to be earmarked for various categories of hotels and
beach development had been identified for ,entirely different purposes in the
Regional Plan. The Master Plan cannot be implemented as it violates the
directives contained in the Regional plan, which is a statutory document.
The Committee, therefore, very solemnly decided that it was not necessary
to earmark any specific areas for tourism development, and that every case must
be on its own merit.
The Committee admit1ed that the Master Plan had been drawn up on
insufficient data, and that even the statistics on which the Plan was based were
not to be trusted.
At the same time, the Committee felt that the a{'\\Jt>rnmt>nt
to divert resources for a comprehensive
HERALD, April 21, 1988
economy. But certain kinds of tourism have harmful social, economic and
economic
Tourism & Environment
A study group was formed to analyse the positive and negative effects of tourism
on environment. The group made adetailed study of the master plan for tourism
prepared by the Dept. ofTown &Country Planning. It was felt that (a) the master
plan is based on inadequate data of the effects (costs & benefits) of tourism
on Goan economy (b) the master plan emphasises 'layout' of tourism
development rather than the 'need' of tourism (c) the master plan is likely to
render the Goan economy weak and vulnerable to international business
fluctuations (d) the master plan will result in an undesirable land utilisation
pattern (e) the master plan demands unreasonable sacrifice on the part of the
local population to satisfy the demands of tourists (0 tourism as contemplated
by the master plan may also open the floodgates of moral pollution to monstrous
proportions. The main theme in the exhibition, therefore, has been the master
plan, five-star tourism and the costs of tourism.
The study group also decided to undertake a
to understand the contribution of tourism to
thrown light on the following issues: (1) The benefits of tourism to
populaton has been marginal (2) The drug problem and commercial life-style
a result of tourism (3) The earnings of local population are largely
by tourism (4) The coastal population is unaware about the
government's tourism plans (5) Traders have benefited, producers have suffered
and traditional occupations are adversely affected.
The study group is not against tourism. The group holds the opinion that
planners should prepare alternative tourism plans so that the costs of tourism
are reduced to minimum. The group was not in a position to prepare an
alternative tourism plan but framed certain guidelines in that direction. The
group felt that (i) any tourism development plan should result in direct benefit
to local population (The present plans speak of indirect banefits which
accrue) (ii) The needs and requirements of local population should receive
(iii) Five-Star tourism should not be expanded and diversified (iv) Official
and non-Dfficial agencies should not project a 'commercial' image of Goa and
Goans (v) Natural gifts of Goa should be preserved.
will prepare plans to achieve the twin goals i.e.
environmental violence.
imin.::lfina
ISSUED BY:
Tourism Study Group:
in the long run. far outweigh short-term
Damodar College of Commerce,
Margao, Goa.
Editorial, DECCAN HERALD, April 6, 1988
SIGNPOST IN NEPAL
Buildings on beaches
INDIA tI.. News Shabby
We seem unwilling to learn from the experience of other countries that have
suffered from the depredations of a particular kind of tourism. Close on the heels
of the proposal to licence Las Vegas type of casinos, we now have the
level inter-ministerial" decision to permit buildings on beaches upto 200 metres
of the shorel ine. The relaxation of the current restriction from 500 to 200 metres
(high-tide width) will be applicable in five places, three of which are already
developed tourist spots - Goa, Mahabalipuram and Trivandrum. Most beaches
are less than hal f-a-ki lometre wide at high-tide, and so new constructions will
in all likelihood lead to disappearance of stretches of beaches in the notified
places. The Government will no doubt argue that given the scarcity of land,
such a decision is essential for the further growth of tourism in these areas. If
seafront tourism is all that important, an alternative policy could well be to
promote tourism in other coastal areas which remain undeveloped. It is difficult
to believe that only five places on tl-.~ Indian coast have such a potential. The
newly announced relaxation will surely lead to the establishment of five-star
hotels on the seafront. And such hotels will only make more stark the picture
of islands of wealth that already holds in most of these places. As it is, many
of the existing hotels in Mahabalipuram and Trivandrum regulate access to
"their" beaches, although beaches have always been considered common land.
The most serious implication of the new policy is the disruption it will cause
to those whose Iivelihooo depends on free access to the sea. Insensitive attempts
to interfere with traditional rights of free access to beaches have been
accompanied by police firing as in Madras a couple of years ago. Thev have
even resulted in communal violence, as in Kanyakumari earlier. Signs
are already there in Goa, where the effect of the new policy will
most marked. When the Government of Goa last year revealed its master
for the development of beach tourism (19 five-star hotels by the turn of the
century), it was met by immediate protests that the new approach would
threaten those who earn their income from fishing, coconut-harvesting and
toddy-tappi ng.
To argue against beach tourism is not to argue against tourism altogether.
It is a truism that tourism provides valuable foreign exchange and that both
foreign and domestic tourism have considerable multiplier effects on the local
)
& Views
Symbolism
The government's decision to make AIDS testing compulsory for all foreign
students coming to this country is political symbolism at its shabbiest. While
;mnollncing this measure, Miss Khaparde, Minister of State for Health and
went on to clarify that the test would take place within a month
a student's arrival. Neither tourist\ embas?y or high commission staff, nor
accredited journalists would face such tests.
Such selective screening of students is not only discriminatory, it will also
be utterly ineffective in checking the spread of the AIDS virus. For example,
it is well known that a growing section of tourists are attracted to places like
Goa for reasons that are only too obvious. As a result activities like local
prostitution catering to new demands are beginning to grow at an alarmim!
rate. AIDS, after all, is no longer considered adisease that is soecific toa
sex. But any attempt to screen tourists would prove disastrous
as a whole.
Editorial, TIMES OF INDIA, March 22, 1988
Letter in INDIAN EXPRESS, March 8, 1988
Sir, The youth passports for those who got 40 or more questions correct in
the Discover India Quiz conducted by the Ministry of Tourism have started
arriving after a long time. A list of hotels is given where passport holders can
for a maximum of seven nights and avail 50 percent discount on normal
The lodging rates range fromRs. 300 to Rs. 800 per night. For a maximum
st,ay of seven nights the bill would be around Rs. 8,000, including taxes, and
we would get a discount of Rs. 3,000.
Instead, if the Ministry of Tourism had given concessions on rail fare for the
same amount we would have discovered India better. It would have been a boon
for persons who have not seen many parts of Ind ia and whose parents do not
have Leave Travel Concession (LTC) facilities.
The youth passport is of no use to acommon man who cannot afford to spend
so much on room rent itself.
N. V. Raghu,
Festival of India
The Festival of Ind ia held abroad and the reciprocal festivals held in the
country cost about Rs. 40.44 crore, the Parliament was informed on
Wednesday.
The cost of the Festival of the USSR in India was Rs. 15 crore and the
Festival of India in USSR, Rs. 9.50 crore, Minister of State for Education
L. P. Sahi said in a written answer. For holding the festival in USA the
cost was Rs. 10.75 crore, and in Sweden Rs. 66 lakh.
The latest Festival of India in Japan is estimated to cost Rs. 4 crore.
The cost of holding the Japan month in India was Rs. 53 lakh.
INDIAN EXPRESS, April 4, 1988
Five Star Ban
City corporators today asked the civic administration to impose a ban on
construction of new four-star and five-star hotels in South Bombay.
While moving a notice of motion at the Bombay Municipal Corporation
Mr Ramdas Nayak stated that there were 51 star-hotels in south
Bombay.
I\;ayak pointed out that 9 five-star hotels consumed about 7.80 lakh gallons
of water every day, creating inconvenience for the common man.
THE DAILY, December 8, 1987
 4 5
American Students visit India
Fear of flyin~
Five Star Animals
A group of undergraduates (consisting of ten girls and five boys of various
disciplines) from an American University arrived in India recently on a Term
Tour for a period of seventy days. This was their first trip to a non-European
country.
days in Tamil Nadu and Kerala covering Trichy, Thanjavur,
Madurai, Thekaddy, Kodaikanal and Gandhigram a fair mix of temples,
wildlife, hilf-station'i and a social institution. The first thing that struck them
was that despite all the pre-tou r preparations they had undergone, they sti II
experienced a "culture shock': But by the time they completed the tour
realized that, in actual fact, a decline i,n their 'standard of living' was by no means
a perceptible drop in the 'Quality of Life' of one's inner
However, they were unable to come to terms with some facets
when for instance, they visited urban slums and villages they could not
understand how people could be happy amidst poverty and squalor.
Then, there was the incident with the roadside vendor of artifacts who tried
to sell his wares to one of them, and when she refused, promptlyoffered it as
a gift and asked her for one in return - when she told him she had
to offer - he settled for her pair of socks. They were abo unable to gra'>p
Hinduism with its inescapable impact on every aspect of an 'Indian way of Life'
where the 'unreal' is possible simply because the 'real' is!
While leaving, most of them expressed a desire to come back for a
stay - for as one of them observed "Life seems to be more real here", and
he went on to elaborate, "technology appears to be the knack of organizing
human society so that an actual experience of the world and its oeoole becomes
impossible': The search for Life is on.
(from a report by KOLAM)
KOLAM
21, III
alternate tours & soft travel
ave, besant nagar, madras-600 090. india. phone: 419872
ALTERNATIVE TOURS and SOFT TRAVEL are meant for the open'minded,
adventurous traveler who wants to experience India and Indian culture
in a direct, personal way. We offer ALTERNATE TOURS to the discerning and
traveler and SOFT TRAVEL to ensure an unspoiled environment and
authentic culture. We utilize moderately-priced accommodation, local
facilities and food, and always adapt to personal initiative and interaction.
In this way, we offer low budget, culturally enriched traveL
PACKAGE TOURS
We offer a wide choice of tours from a weekend jaunt to a 7 to 10-day
excursion, up to I5-days or more study tours. To ensure personalized
attention, our tours are limited to 20 people. Itineraries originate from
Madras, New Delhi, Bombay or Calcutta, and are all custom-designed
with you in mind. Costs range from $20-.30 per day per person, inclusive
of rail (AC only) and road transport hotels (on a twin sharing basis), all
meals, transfers and expert guide service.
SPECIAL TOURS
What are your interests? We can arrange for your group to visit, work,
study or actually stay in villages, universities, ashrams, social change
groups, ayurvedha and siddha health programs, arts and crafts centers,
and sites of ecological/naturalist interest. Lectures, both pre-tour and
on-site, on all aspects of Indian culture can be arranged. KOLAM
specializes in study tours for students with a wide range of interests and
at all levels.
TRAVEL COUNSELING
KOLAM can custom-design a rewarding and enlightening tour package
that caters to your special interests, budget and time limitations. To
ensure that we give you our best personalized service, please write to
us as early as possible, telling us your needs and requirements. We will
do everything to make your India experience all that it can be.
SHOPPING GUIDE
India offers some of the best shopping in the world, but there are as many
pitfalls as bargains to be found in her bazaars. We offer expert advice
on where and how to buy carpets, handicrafts, jewellery, handlooms,
leather goods, books, videos, music recordings and instruments.
For further details get acquainted with:
!'Ir Ranjit Henry at the KOLAM address.
s someone who has to frequentlyrely on the services of Indian
A Airlines I spend quite a lot of time (while waiting at airports for
endlessly delayed flights) thinking about how Jagdish Tytler
continues to remain Minister of Civil Aviation; especially when we have
The Ori~5a Governrnent's grandiose plan~ of le3~ing out
sanctuary to private business houses for locati ng five-star
run into rough weather.
a pilot as Prime Minister. In the past few years of flying <,omewhere or
Co~e on the heels of critical new~paper reports and a public outcry, the Union
other at least twice a month I can remember only about two occasions Environment Mini<;try officials have vetoed the State Government's move of
when I did not have to pull strings to get onto the flight. I can also away sanctuary land, maintdining that such leasing out of sanctuary
remember barely three occasions when the flight I took left at the
no lega:
scheduled time instead of at an E.T.D. (expected time of departure).
Environment and Forest Secretary T. Seshan during his visit to Orissa last week
Recently I spent four hours at Bagdogra airport waiting for a
personally conveyed the Union Government's objections to the move. A letter
back to Delhi along with a largish group of tourists from, I think, some also reached the state Secretariat here, formally denying clearance to the
East European country. Unlike Western tourists, who tend to be aggressive
and demanding, these poor creatures were quite extraordinarily patient
and well-behaved. Saying not a word they stared quietly at the wall of the The State administration here has been practically working overtime,
airport lounge as if they were fascinating murals; but then as the hours through the proposals of leasing out large tracts of a sanctuary for constructing
ticked by a certain hysteria seemed to grip them. They started to talk resorts. The beneficiaries of the Government
nervously to each other and every now and then would send a little to be the country's two top names in hotel industry
delegation off for consultations with the I ndian Airlines staff. Finally and the Clarke group.
they could take it no more and went and stood outside the airport lounge While the Oberois had alrnmt cornered a prized plot on the Puri-Konark
with their eyes fixed on the skies. When our aeroplane eventually appeared beach, Clarke is said to be 5ti II in the run for a plot close to the famous Konark
overhead they started to clap their hands and cheer as if some major feat Sun Temple. When the 70-acre plot chosen by the Oberois was found to be
had been achieved. I would imagine that next time they plan a trio to India part of a wild life sanctuary, the Government by a notification proclaimed that
they will think first about Indian Airlines.
the plot would no more fall under the sanctuary. Its protected status was
Yet Mr Tytler. who is now also Minister of Tourism, is actually summarily withdrawn.
concerned about the promotion of tourism to India and is constantly busy
INDIAN EXPRESS, January 18, 1988
thinking up ways and means of bringing the foreigner to our great and
glorious land. His last brainwave was to have 'Whites Only' casinos and
now he appears to have come up with a new idea altogether.
If you buy your magazines in five-star hotels or at other up-market book
shops you may, by now, have noticed a glossy new travel magazine called
Discover India', It is priced at a phenomenal Rs 20 so you may not have
ended up buying it, but had you glanced through it you would have come
across the usual banal reminiscences of the 'I grew up in the land which
cradled boat races' and 'January in Delhi is as exhilarat ing as April in
Paris' kind.
Behind the magazine's hackneyed prose and stereotyped pictures,
however, lies a tale of mystery and intrigue which has set glossy, travel
magazine circles in Delhi buzzing with gossip. It is rumoured that the
magazine's main buyer is going to be the Ministry of Tourism and that
they hope eventually to be picking up nearly seventy per cent of 500,000
copies in French, German, English, Hindi and Japanese. The magazine
is ostensibly yet another glossy product from Media lransasia (a Bangkok­
based NRI company) which has also given us Swagat of Indian Airlines
fame and other such fare, but in fact, the Ministry of Tourism is believed
to be the real brain behind the endeavour.
Now, as usually happens when these kinds of Indo-NRI collaborations
take place, there are not many people in government circles who are
prepared to tell you the whole story, so I had to rely for my information
on queries ill travel magazine circles and I also rang.Media Transasia's
Delhi office. I spoke first to a lady who said, "Yes, the Ministry of Tourism
will be picking up seventy per cent". Then there was this kind of pregnant
pause and she put me on to a nice-sounding South Indian gent who
explained at some length that only 58,000 copies had been printed of the
first issue and the Government of India was taking only 5,000 of them,
and of course it was not going to be anywhere near seventy per cent and
so on and so forth. The magazine is going to be written in India, printed
in Hong Kong, published in Bangkok and sold everywhere. Alii can say
is that yet again there seems to be something funny going on in Mr Tytler's
""""9"'llCtt"'II!
"'Mr J:wler was Minis(e;:r of Civil AviaCJon and 7burism un(il the;: Cabine;:( re;:silume;:carlicr
(his ye;:ar.
Tavleen Singh in EXPRESS MAGAZINE, Jao. 31, 1988
 4 5
American Students visit India
Fear of flyin~
Five Star Animals
A group of undergraduates (consisting of ten girls and five boys of various
disciplines) from an American University arrived in India recently on a Term
Tour for a period of seventy days. This was their first trip to a non-European
country.
days in Tamil Nadu and Kerala covering Trichy, Thanjavur,
Madurai, Thekaddy, Kodaikanal and Gandhigram a fair mix of temples,
wildlife, hilf-station'i and a social institution. The first thing that struck them
was that despite all the pre-tou r preparations they had undergone, they sti II
experienced a "culture shock': But by the time they completed the tour
realized that, in actual fact, a decline i,n their 'standard of living' was by no means
a perceptible drop in the 'Quality of Life' of one's inner
However, they were unable to come to terms with some facets
when for instance, they visited urban slums and villages they could not
understand how people could be happy amidst poverty and squalor.
Then, there was the incident with the roadside vendor of artifacts who tried
to sell his wares to one of them, and when she refused, promptlyoffered it as
a gift and asked her for one in return - when she told him she had
to offer - he settled for her pair of socks. They were abo unable to gra'>p
Hinduism with its inescapable impact on every aspect of an 'Indian way of Life'
where the 'unreal' is possible simply because the 'real' is!
While leaving, most of them expressed a desire to come back for a
stay - for as one of them observed "Life seems to be more real here", and
he went on to elaborate, "technology appears to be the knack of organizing
human society so that an actual experience of the world and its oeoole becomes
impossible': The search for Life is on.
(from a report by KOLAM)
KOLAM
21, III
alternate tours & soft travel
ave, besant nagar, madras-600 090. india. phone: 419872
ALTERNATIVE TOURS and SOFT TRAVEL are meant for the open'minded,
adventurous traveler who wants to experience India and Indian culture
in a direct, personal way. We offer ALTERNATE TOURS to the discerning and
traveler and SOFT TRAVEL to ensure an unspoiled environment and
authentic culture. We utilize moderately-priced accommodation, local
facilities and food, and always adapt to personal initiative and interaction.
In this way, we offer low budget, culturally enriched traveL
PACKAGE TOURS
We offer a wide choice of tours from a weekend jaunt to a 7 to 10-day
excursion, up to I5-days or more study tours. To ensure personalized
attention, our tours are limited to 20 people. Itineraries originate from
Madras, New Delhi, Bombay or Calcutta, and are all custom-designed
with you in mind. Costs range from $20-.30 per day per person, inclusive
of rail (AC only) and road transport hotels (on a twin sharing basis), all
meals, transfers and expert guide service.
SPECIAL TOURS
What are your interests? We can arrange for your group to visit, work,
study or actually stay in villages, universities, ashrams, social change
groups, ayurvedha and siddha health programs, arts and crafts centers,
and sites of ecological/naturalist interest. Lectures, both pre-tour and
on-site, on all aspects of Indian culture can be arranged. KOLAM
specializes in study tours for students with a wide range of interests and
at all levels.
TRAVEL COUNSELING
KOLAM can custom-design a rewarding and enlightening tour package
that caters to your special interests, budget and time limitations. To
ensure that we give you our best personalized service, please write to
us as early as possible, telling us your needs and requirements. We will
do everything to make your India experience all that it can be.
SHOPPING GUIDE
India offers some of the best shopping in the world, but there are as many
pitfalls as bargains to be found in her bazaars. We offer expert advice
on where and how to buy carpets, handicrafts, jewellery, handlooms,
leather goods, books, videos, music recordings and instruments.
For further details get acquainted with:
!'Ir Ranjit Henry at the KOLAM address.
s someone who has to frequentlyrely on the services of Indian
A Airlines I spend quite a lot of time (while waiting at airports for
endlessly delayed flights) thinking about how Jagdish Tytler
continues to remain Minister of Civil Aviation; especially when we have
The Ori~5a Governrnent's grandiose plan~ of le3~ing out
sanctuary to private business houses for locati ng five-star
run into rough weather.
a pilot as Prime Minister. In the past few years of flying <,omewhere or
Co~e on the heels of critical new~paper reports and a public outcry, the Union
other at least twice a month I can remember only about two occasions Environment Mini<;try officials have vetoed the State Government's move of
when I did not have to pull strings to get onto the flight. I can also away sanctuary land, maintdining that such leasing out of sanctuary
remember barely three occasions when the flight I took left at the
no lega:
scheduled time instead of at an E.T.D. (expected time of departure).
Environment and Forest Secretary T. Seshan during his visit to Orissa last week
Recently I spent four hours at Bagdogra airport waiting for a
personally conveyed the Union Government's objections to the move. A letter
back to Delhi along with a largish group of tourists from, I think, some also reached the state Secretariat here, formally denying clearance to the
East European country. Unlike Western tourists, who tend to be aggressive
and demanding, these poor creatures were quite extraordinarily patient
and well-behaved. Saying not a word they stared quietly at the wall of the The State administration here has been practically working overtime,
airport lounge as if they were fascinating murals; but then as the hours through the proposals of leasing out large tracts of a sanctuary for constructing
ticked by a certain hysteria seemed to grip them. They started to talk resorts. The beneficiaries of the Government
nervously to each other and every now and then would send a little to be the country's two top names in hotel industry
delegation off for consultations with the I ndian Airlines staff. Finally and the Clarke group.
they could take it no more and went and stood outside the airport lounge While the Oberois had alrnmt cornered a prized plot on the Puri-Konark
with their eyes fixed on the skies. When our aeroplane eventually appeared beach, Clarke is said to be 5ti II in the run for a plot close to the famous Konark
overhead they started to clap their hands and cheer as if some major feat Sun Temple. When the 70-acre plot chosen by the Oberois was found to be
had been achieved. I would imagine that next time they plan a trio to India part of a wild life sanctuary, the Government by a notification proclaimed that
they will think first about Indian Airlines.
the plot would no more fall under the sanctuary. Its protected status was
Yet Mr Tytler. who is now also Minister of Tourism, is actually summarily withdrawn.
concerned about the promotion of tourism to India and is constantly busy
INDIAN EXPRESS, January 18, 1988
thinking up ways and means of bringing the foreigner to our great and
glorious land. His last brainwave was to have 'Whites Only' casinos and
now he appears to have come up with a new idea altogether.
If you buy your magazines in five-star hotels or at other up-market book
shops you may, by now, have noticed a glossy new travel magazine called
Discover India', It is priced at a phenomenal Rs 20 so you may not have
ended up buying it, but had you glanced through it you would have come
across the usual banal reminiscences of the 'I grew up in the land which
cradled boat races' and 'January in Delhi is as exhilarat ing as April in
Paris' kind.
Behind the magazine's hackneyed prose and stereotyped pictures,
however, lies a tale of mystery and intrigue which has set glossy, travel
magazine circles in Delhi buzzing with gossip. It is rumoured that the
magazine's main buyer is going to be the Ministry of Tourism and that
they hope eventually to be picking up nearly seventy per cent of 500,000
copies in French, German, English, Hindi and Japanese. The magazine
is ostensibly yet another glossy product from Media lransasia (a Bangkok­
based NRI company) which has also given us Swagat of Indian Airlines
fame and other such fare, but in fact, the Ministry of Tourism is believed
to be the real brain behind the endeavour.
Now, as usually happens when these kinds of Indo-NRI collaborations
take place, there are not many people in government circles who are
prepared to tell you the whole story, so I had to rely for my information
on queries ill travel magazine circles and I also rang.Media Transasia's
Delhi office. I spoke first to a lady who said, "Yes, the Ministry of Tourism
will be picking up seventy per cent". Then there was this kind of pregnant
pause and she put me on to a nice-sounding South Indian gent who
explained at some length that only 58,000 copies had been printed of the
first issue and the Government of India was taking only 5,000 of them,
and of course it was not going to be anywhere near seventy per cent and
so on and so forth. The magazine is going to be written in India, printed
in Hong Kong, published in Bangkok and sold everywhere. Alii can say
is that yet again there seems to be something funny going on in Mr Tytler's
""""9"'llCtt"'II!
"'Mr J:wler was Minis(e;:r of Civil AviaCJon and 7burism un(il the;: Cabine;:( re;:silume;:carlicr
(his ye;:ar.
Tavleen Singh in EXPRESS MAGAZINE, Jao. 31, 1988
 6 3
Master Plan Shelved
PANjlM The famous Master Plan which generated so much controversy has
been given aqu iet burial by the Goa government. At a meeting of the Steering
Committee for the Master Plan it was quietly decided to abandon it.
The Tourism Department and the town planners who together produced the
Master Plan, suddenly discovered six months after the Plan was fornlllbtprl
that it was not in consonance with the state Regional Plan.
In fact, areas proposed to be earmarked for various categories of hotels and
beach development had been identified for ,entirely different purposes in the
Regional Plan. The Master Plan cannot be implemented as it violates the
directives contained in the Regional plan, which is a statutory document.
The Committee, therefore, very solemnly decided that it was not necessary
to earmark any specific areas for tourism development, and that every case must
be on its own merit.
The Committee admit1ed that the Master Plan had been drawn up on
insufficient data, and that even the statistics on which the Plan was based were
not to be trusted.
At the same time, the Committee felt that the a{'\\Jt>rnmt>nt
to divert resources for a comprehensive
HERALD, April 21, 1988
economy. But certain kinds of tourism have harmful social, economic and
economic
Tourism & Environment
A study group was formed to analyse the positive and negative effects of tourism
on environment. The group made adetailed study of the master plan for tourism
prepared by the Dept. ofTown &Country Planning. It was felt that (a) the master
plan is based on inadequate data of the effects (costs & benefits) of tourism
on Goan economy (b) the master plan emphasises 'layout' of tourism
development rather than the 'need' of tourism (c) the master plan is likely to
render the Goan economy weak and vulnerable to international business
fluctuations (d) the master plan will result in an undesirable land utilisation
pattern (e) the master plan demands unreasonable sacrifice on the part of the
local population to satisfy the demands of tourists (0 tourism as contemplated
by the master plan may also open the floodgates of moral pollution to monstrous
proportions. The main theme in the exhibition, therefore, has been the master
plan, five-star tourism and the costs of tourism.
The study group also decided to undertake a
to understand the contribution of tourism to
thrown light on the following issues: (1) The benefits of tourism to
populaton has been marginal (2) The drug problem and commercial life-style
a result of tourism (3) The earnings of local population are largely
by tourism (4) The coastal population is unaware about the
government's tourism plans (5) Traders have benefited, producers have suffered
and traditional occupations are adversely affected.
The study group is not against tourism. The group holds the opinion that
planners should prepare alternative tourism plans so that the costs of tourism
are reduced to minimum. The group was not in a position to prepare an
alternative tourism plan but framed certain guidelines in that direction. The
group felt that (i) any tourism development plan should result in direct benefit
to local population (The present plans speak of indirect banefits which
accrue) (ii) The needs and requirements of local population should receive
(iii) Five-Star tourism should not be expanded and diversified (iv) Official
and non-Dfficial agencies should not project a 'commercial' image of Goa and
Goans (v) Natural gifts of Goa should be preserved.
will prepare plans to achieve the twin goals i.e.
environmental violence.
imin.::lfina
ISSUED BY:
Tourism Study Group:
in the long run. far outweigh short-term
Damodar College of Commerce,
Margao, Goa.
Editorial, DECCAN HERALD, April 6, 1988
SIGNPOST IN NEPAL
Buildings on beaches
INDIA tI.. News Shabby
We seem unwilling to learn from the experience of other countries that have
suffered from the depredations of a particular kind of tourism. Close on the heels
of the proposal to licence Las Vegas type of casinos, we now have the
level inter-ministerial" decision to permit buildings on beaches upto 200 metres
of the shorel ine. The relaxation of the current restriction from 500 to 200 metres
(high-tide width) will be applicable in five places, three of which are already
developed tourist spots - Goa, Mahabalipuram and Trivandrum. Most beaches
are less than hal f-a-ki lometre wide at high-tide, and so new constructions will
in all likelihood lead to disappearance of stretches of beaches in the notified
places. The Government will no doubt argue that given the scarcity of land,
such a decision is essential for the further growth of tourism in these areas. If
seafront tourism is all that important, an alternative policy could well be to
promote tourism in other coastal areas which remain undeveloped. It is difficult
to believe that only five places on tl-.~ Indian coast have such a potential. The
newly announced relaxation will surely lead to the establishment of five-star
hotels on the seafront. And such hotels will only make more stark the picture
of islands of wealth that already holds in most of these places. As it is, many
of the existing hotels in Mahabalipuram and Trivandrum regulate access to
"their" beaches, although beaches have always been considered common land.
The most serious implication of the new policy is the disruption it will cause
to those whose Iivelihooo depends on free access to the sea. Insensitive attempts
to interfere with traditional rights of free access to beaches have been
accompanied by police firing as in Madras a couple of years ago. Thev have
even resulted in communal violence, as in Kanyakumari earlier. Signs
are already there in Goa, where the effect of the new policy will
most marked. When the Government of Goa last year revealed its master
for the development of beach tourism (19 five-star hotels by the turn of the
century), it was met by immediate protests that the new approach would
threaten those who earn their income from fishing, coconut-harvesting and
toddy-tappi ng.
To argue against beach tourism is not to argue against tourism altogether.
It is a truism that tourism provides valuable foreign exchange and that both
foreign and domestic tourism have considerable multiplier effects on the local
)
& Views
Symbolism
The government's decision to make AIDS testing compulsory for all foreign
students coming to this country is political symbolism at its shabbiest. While
;mnollncing this measure, Miss Khaparde, Minister of State for Health and
went on to clarify that the test would take place within a month
a student's arrival. Neither tourist\ embas?y or high commission staff, nor
accredited journalists would face such tests.
Such selective screening of students is not only discriminatory, it will also
be utterly ineffective in checking the spread of the AIDS virus. For example,
it is well known that a growing section of tourists are attracted to places like
Goa for reasons that are only too obvious. As a result activities like local
prostitution catering to new demands are beginning to grow at an alarmim!
rate. AIDS, after all, is no longer considered adisease that is soecific toa
sex. But any attempt to screen tourists would prove disastrous
as a whole.
Editorial, TIMES OF INDIA, March 22, 1988
Letter in INDIAN EXPRESS, March 8, 1988
Sir, The youth passports for those who got 40 or more questions correct in
the Discover India Quiz conducted by the Ministry of Tourism have started
arriving after a long time. A list of hotels is given where passport holders can
for a maximum of seven nights and avail 50 percent discount on normal
The lodging rates range fromRs. 300 to Rs. 800 per night. For a maximum
st,ay of seven nights the bill would be around Rs. 8,000, including taxes, and
we would get a discount of Rs. 3,000.
Instead, if the Ministry of Tourism had given concessions on rail fare for the
same amount we would have discovered India better. It would have been a boon
for persons who have not seen many parts of Ind ia and whose parents do not
have Leave Travel Concession (LTC) facilities.
The youth passport is of no use to acommon man who cannot afford to spend
so much on room rent itself.
N. V. Raghu,
Festival of India
The Festival of Ind ia held abroad and the reciprocal festivals held in the
country cost about Rs. 40.44 crore, the Parliament was informed on
Wednesday.
The cost of the Festival of the USSR in India was Rs. 15 crore and the
Festival of India in USSR, Rs. 9.50 crore, Minister of State for Education
L. P. Sahi said in a written answer. For holding the festival in USA the
cost was Rs. 10.75 crore, and in Sweden Rs. 66 lakh.
The latest Festival of India in Japan is estimated to cost Rs. 4 crore.
The cost of holding the Japan month in India was Rs. 53 lakh.
INDIAN EXPRESS, April 4, 1988
Five Star Ban
City corporators today asked the civic administration to impose a ban on
construction of new four-star and five-star hotels in South Bombay.
While moving a notice of motion at the Bombay Municipal Corporation
Mr Ramdas Nayak stated that there were 51 star-hotels in south
Bombay.
I\;ayak pointed out that 9 five-star hotels consumed about 7.80 lakh gallons
of water every day, creating inconvenience for the common man.
THE DAILY, December 8, 1987
 2 7
New Tourism
contd. from page 7
and brown sugar and call girls from allover the country. Along with them has
cropped up the retinu.e of thugs, pedlars, pimps, gigolos and racketeers.
'Abman tourists from abroad are the main customers of the pedlars and these
women are later used as couriers by the drug racketeers. Many of the drug
pedlars (also known as"beach ooys') are gigolos too and they have their own
retinue of women who feed them and keep them happy by buying their drugs.
These boys have no educational qu~lifjcation worth speaking about, but speak
English in a heavy American accent and are well-versed with the Top of the
Charts in London or USA. Many women spend all their money on drugs and
when they don't have anything to fall back on, but need drugs, take to
prostitution. Many a photographer has ventured to Lighthouse beach during
the early morning or sunset to shoot women tourists in G strings and found
ready models. But all the same, afat sum of money has to be doled out, failing
which the beach boys would fall upon him and confiscate his camera. Even
the unsuspecting Indian tourists who come to Kovalam to ogle at the women
sunbathing are ~sked to give baksheesh for the display.
The call-girl racket is widespread and girls arrive from allover the South to
Kovalam. Private hotels here like Sun and Waves were at one time hot spots
for the flesh traders. But recently the new Circle Inspector T R Mohan and his
Sub-Inspector Gopalkrishnan launched a clean up drive. When the drive was
first launched, many top officials including a DIG rang up and asked them to
stop the raids. An emissary came from one of the hotel owners and told the
police officers that amounts ranging from Rs. 10,000 to. Rs. 50,000 will be paid
to them if they called off the raid. But fortunately the direct superiors of the
police officers were in tune with the drive against the call-girl racket in Kovalam.
Police constables were posted outside the hotels and the moment the clients
arrived, they were nabbed.
The cleansing drive was not without its after effects. An MlA went to the then
Chief Minister, Karunakaran, and asked him to transfer the 51 and CI. Some of
the police constables were on the payroll of the hotel owners and gave them
tipoffs about raids. As soon as the state elections were announced, the police
were ordered to stop all activities and the flesh trade has begun once again.
But investigating the call-girl racket, reveals that even government run hotels
(there are two of them in Kovalam) have links with the flesh traders.
Tourists h:lVe now started a new racket whereby they sell off their cameras,
VCRs orothervaluables and lodge a report to the police station that they were
stolen. All they need is a FIR from the police registering the case. Since the
goods are covered by insurance companies back home, a FIR from India gets
them their money and at the same time they can spend the money got out of
selling the items in India for their holiday.
With all its natural beauty Kovalam could turn into a haven for tourists if the
authorities were to give attention to the law and order in the region. The police
force, badly equipped and short of manpower and pressurised from the top,
is fighting a losing battle. The drug racket that is destroying the youth in the
state and the call-girl racket that is prevalent on the beach has to be curbed
immediately if Kovalam has to develop into a major tourist centre without
destroying the social fabric of the capital city and the populace of the beach.
Ayyappa Prasad
THE SUNDAY OBSERVER - 26 April 1987
Financing Agency proposed
International liaison Officers:
The Department of Tourism has proposed setting up of a separate financing
agency for the tourism industry. The proposed agency will have an initial capital
afRs. 100 crores. The Department which is having a dialogue with the Finance
Ministry at present is pressing for a debt equity ratio of 10: 1 so that the agency
could raise loans worth Rs. 1,000 crares.
Creation of a separate funding agency is part of a comprehensive ~cheme
aimed at boosting the tourist trade. Estimates show that in the next five years
a sum of Rs. 2,000 crores would be required to meet the cost of creating basic
infrastructure for developing tourist centres.
Official sources point out that though "tourism has been accorded the status
of an industry, the concessions given to the other industries have not been fully
extended to this industry". It is pointed out that income tax
of a marketing development fund and rebate on interest on loans etc.
denied to the industry.
The Department of Tourism has suggested to the Finance Ministry that the
should be recognised as an export-oriented and priority industry.
ECONOMIC TIMES, 19 April 1988
NEW TOURISM
Aims and Aspirations
envisions 'i nternationalliaison officers' whose main function would be to
1) to assist in the creation of increased opportunities for people to meet one seek, receive and distribute information about the needs and wishes of
another and experience each others' way of life, people within different countries,
2) to help re-connect with the essence of every culture, so that the future may -- assesses and suggests services and cooperation which could be offered to
be bui It on the best from the past and the potential of the present, provide for the<;e needs and wi~h('s.
3) to assist III the and meaning
to every area
4) to provide new work opportuniti('s and develop a de-(entrali~('d network
of co-opertive enterprises within each country, which will be This is the vision of NEW TOURISM
for creating NEW TOURISM outlets in close cooperation With
(from PEACE THROUGH UNITY)
and with great sensitivity to the uniqueness of the natural environment
tht> area.
Therefore every co-worker will endeavour
opportunity to transform, lift and expand the concept of tourism
into a healthv and health-bringing business
to and nurture a sense of wonder and appreciation 01 life on
this planet
to co-operate with already existing endeavours in this field of
Clearing Houses
are envisaged, which could consist of the following fdcllitie~:
* A place where representative~ of the ho::.t country welcome the visitor. Each
country would express its welcome in accordance with its own tradition
and choice.
* An information centre, divided up into two sections.
- one in which the client can auietlv brew over and decide about travel
another in which bookings elc. are made.
* Video equipment, showing up-to-date films, familiarising the visitor with
available choices.
* A small exhibition, consisting of samples of various arts and crafts from A New Internationalist Traveller's '-UUIS
within the country, with information about the artists.
* A short term overnighting facility (2-3 days), modest, affordablp and beautifu:.
* A bus depot, caribicycle/boat!sk; renting office, small air strip or holimntor
"pace ...
* A place of silence, open to all.
Such clearing houses would need to have access to a co~nputer ~ystem, :>rtc>n •• :>tl>
for keeping constant contact with other clearing houses.
Welcome to ocr place:
One of the most crucial cond itions for realisi ng the 'aims and aspi rations' of
Nl:W TOURISM would be the emergence of small places, run on a family basis,
which would welcome smaller groups of people and give them an experience
to the country and its people in some particular way: e.g. through art~
farming, trekking experiences etc.
It is hoped that this particular aspect of tourism will grow and expand within
each country, finding its own unique expression and providing welcome work
opportunities for many, especiallv in remote areas.
Soa~ lAl~y~ eM"loy ~The cw~. Lc:x:al
NEW TOURISM also to introduce:
;>~Ie Rhb\A) be~r i1'lcM yOA vJhat-s wrovu, wtf11.
new types of re-creation for people who are tired and weary: who may ile t>lac.e. YrM Cd'1 alLUalfs ~,~ wltt1 it1ei('
need a 'sabbatical' or post-operative recuperation. CD~p laiAts (~~,..
new types of holiday-camps (children and grandparents together, tours
and expeditions to suit different needs and remedy various
'deficiencies')
new and alternative ways of helping children and youngSTer
problems (drugs, first time offenders, victims of abuse of
 8
NETWORK We invite our readers to contribute to the Network Letter by
NEWS
sharing their work ideas and plans through these pages.
Communication i, vital to the life ofa Network especially when
ROUNDUP physical distances cannot eastly he hridged hy closer contact).
Ecumenical Coalition on Third \Q)rld 1burism, Banltlkok
EQV\,'T has moved to a new location in Bangkok. In an interview with CCA
Executive Secretary says ECTWT focusses on 3 areas:
of tourism, to encourage alternative modes of
theological reflection' within the church. A 3-year
programme on Child prostitution is on the cards. Write
CONTOURS, to: ECTWT, POBox 24, Chorakhebua,
(cables: CONTOURS BANGKOK, Phone: 510-7287).
Centre for ~esponsible Tourism, USA
CRT, which coordinate'S the North American Network on Third World Tourism
(NANET), plans to produce a number of directories, including an Alternative
Travel Experience Guide. NANET and ECTWT are co-sponsoring an
international conference, Tourism in Hawaii in the summer of 1989. Request
information from: Virginia Hadsell, Director, CRT, 2 Kensington Road, San
Anselmo, Ca 94960, USA.
International Bureau of Social Tourism (BITS), Bel~ium
BITS represents the trends of European tourism, of moderate income tourism
in particular. Established as a result of the Brussels Congress in 1963, it
coordinates member activities, and provides information on cultural matters,
as well as regarding sodo-economic impacts. We extend our warm greetings
to BITS, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Write for their bulletin, BITS
Information, to: Dr Arthur Haulot, Secretary General, BITS,S, Boulevard de
l'lmperatrice, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.
Eastern Mic~an University, USA
Inter Cultural Travel: Education Services, Sri Lanka The sexist and racist advertising indulged in by the Tourism Department of the
10: ES has brought out the first issue of 'Sri Lanka Profiles' - a quarterly that
"gives readers in the First World nuances ofthe reality in Sri Lanka beyond the
black and white presentation of news reaching them': This first number profiles
the issues at stake in the Uva province - a potential tourist zone. Subscriptions
US $ 4.00 annually, from Mrs. S. Perumal, 288, D.S. Senanayake Veediya, Kandy,
Sri Lanka.
SOLWODI (Solidarity with Woman in Distress), Germany
From their Newsletter NO.9 (April 1988), we learn that SOLWODI has now been
registered in West Germany, where Sr Lea Ackermann proposes to establish
a Centre. To be located at Boppard (near Koblenz), the Centre wi II provide
assistance to Third World women trapped into prostitution on arrival in
Germany. Contact Sr Ackermann, Clo SOLWODL Probsteistr. 2, Hirzenach,
5407 Boppard 3, West Germany.
Published by: Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS), 96, H Colony, Indiranagar Stage I, Bangalore 560038, INDIA.
Design and Phowlypesetting: Revisuality Digitised Typesetting and Graphic Design, 47/1 L3velle Road, Bangalorp, India.
Operation Peace Thr011\lh Unity. New Zealand
Peace through Unity's founders are: Anthony Brooke and Gita Keiller Brooke.
"We believe': writes Gita, "that we, the people of the world, are confronted
with a very real and profound challenge to affirm the truer and nobler values
we know will, when expressed in service, bring about a new and better world':
They publish a newsletter, "Many to Many'~ which is a communicating link
between the peoples of the world, as well as, "an instrument for the furthering
of better human relationships based on deepening mutual understanding and
the aspiration to promote unity and cooperation beyond all d!fferences".
Elsewhere in this newsletter we carry their proposals for an alternate tourism.
Write to: 4 All ison Street, Wanganui, New Zealand.
RESOURCES
Tourism Alternatives Exchange, Issue 1, July 1988, EQUATIONS, Bangalore.
Rs. 10 in India, US $2.50 elsewhere to cover postage costs.
This new publication, to be issued occasionally, will incorporate serious articles,
features, rese.arch reports and book reviews on Third World and alternative
tourism. Issue 1ofTAE includes a critique oftourism in Ladakh (Kashmir, India),
a debate on wildlife tourism and a review of Rosemary Jommo's 'Indigenous
Enterprise in Kenya's Tourism Industry'.
The Traveller: The Travailed, audio-visual (100 slides/tape, 20 mins.),
EQUATIONS, Ban galore. Not yet priced.
Based on the doctoral thesis of Suhita Chopra, and produced for EQUATIONS
by Aavishkar, this audio-visual examines the impacts on rural life in Khajuraho.
ramed for its erotic temple sculpture, this small village in Centrallndra is now
a maior tourist resort. Decreed by government as an urban area to facilitate
2,700 residents have today been pushed to the
available from EQUATIONS.
Tourism - Its Effects on Women in Goa, Bailancho Saad (A Women's
Collective), 304, Prema Building, Rua de Ourem, Panaji, Goa-403 001, India.
Government of Goa and the hoteliers has, besides distorting the image of
women in Goa, led to sexual harassment. The bookiet is a report to the people
of the consequences of such tourism promotion: prostitution, nudism and
temporary or seasonal employment. Copies available from Bailancho Saad,
at Rs 11 in India and US $3.00 elsewhere.
The Great Escape? An Examination of North South Tourism, by E.
English, The North-South Institute, 185 Rideau Street, Ottawa, Ci3J1ada KIN 5X8.
Price $9.50.
Citing evidence from numerous studies across the world, this book analyzes
the economic, social and cultural implications of the tourist flow between
industrialized and developing countries. The study recommends policies
necessary to maximize the economic benefits of tourism while minimizing
its negative socio-economic consequences.
ALTERNATIVE NETWORK LETTER
A Third World Tourism' Communic'ation
And Infonnation Alternative
For Private Circulation Only Vol. 4 No. 2 August 1988
t's been a long time since any two people meant the same thing while
I talking of 'alternative tourism~ For some in the industry, the term refers to
low-budget travel. For others, it means marketing off-beat destinations and
KOVALAM: Paradise Lost
unset time in Kovalam. A tourist in her mid-forties, wearing only a
S
packages, such as camel-back holidays in the deserts of Rajasthan. Even among
critics of tourism (especially Third World tourism) consensus is rare. From bed G string, is rollicking in the waves and enjoying the cool breeze when
and breakfast with host families to total-immersion experiences of a nation's suddenly out of nowhere two local' youths appear on the shore and
calmly begin to inspect the bag left there by the swimmer. Seeing this the woman
urban, rural and tribal life, numerous varied forms and models are advocated.
raises acry for help and begi ns to swim towards the shore. By then the youths
By now, the ugly truth about international tourism is well known. We, the
have made good their escape. The woman rushes to the restaurants on the shore
critics, have paraded it naked before the wide world. Unprotected by the aura
and oleads with the other tourists to help her but gets no response. She sits
of glamorous images created by the adman (of sun and sand, of myth and
shore, weeping silently - her well planned holiday has come to a sad
mystery), modern-day tourism is increasingly recognised for fhe parasite it is,
her oassoort, travellers cheques and bel ieve it or not even her clothes
far from the paradise it claims to be. Confronted by falsehoods of its own
has is her G
the industry responds with 'truth in advertising': the picture of a poor
old waif replaces that of the dark-haired, sloe-eyed, nubile native away, amidst the coconut groves that line the beach atall white­
German is striking a deal with a few locals for a packet of heroin he
Sex tours are out, mail-order brides are in. The leopard's spots
has smuggled across to India. In one of the hotels in Kovalam an Indian tourist
is roughed up by a few thugs and told fo run for his life.
EDITORIAL Kovalam, the long sandy beach near Trivandrum, is Kerala's biggest tourist
attraction for tau rists from abroad and outside the state. But the growth in tourist
traffic has resulted in it becoming a centre for drug dealers, flesh traders and
Yet, it is hard to believe that the international tourism industry (and the
underworld dons. All this has led to the unsuspecting tourist getting a raw deal.
leconomic systems that perpetuate it) will undergo adramatic overnight
upheaval in favour of justice and truth, that somehow the milk of human Kovalam has two beaches: The Lighthouse Beach which locals call Howa
kindness will overflow the profitability curves. Given the impossibility of the beach (Eve's Beach) with its innumerable huts and makeshift restaurants that
naysayers' dream, it is evident that criticism must continue, combining pop up when the tourist season starts; and the main beach, also known as the
judiciously with confrontation and campaigns, undergirded by unassailable ITDC beach. This is acleaner beach where a tourist can enjoy the sea without
credibility, and fueled by conviction. getting his belongings stolen or the fear of being beaten up by thugs for not
paying them for the prostitutes they promise but never deliver. This beach has
Promoting any kind of international tourism - even alternative we are
life-guards and ITDC security personnel in the vicinity. Ironically, the danger
however faced with an inherent question of priorities: is this primarily an elitist
zone in the main beach is close to the hotel run by the state government. A
concern? The average Asian or African has far less opportunity for travel than
part of the mai n beach is cordoned off by the ITDC for its guests..
the average European or North American. But given the possibil ity that
irked many social activists in the city because they felt that it was discriminatory
critical consumer (or alternative tourist) could turn out tomorrow's conscious
to the local population and was ':<\partheid by ITDC': But after a while, the hue
crusader for Third World causes, alternative tourism might well olav a crucial
and cry in the local media died down. The cordon still exists.
role in shaping a new worldview.
It is only recently that the beach resort has become a major tourist centre
Moreover, in countries like ours, where a diversity of
due mainly to the ethnic problems in Sri lanka which has diverted alarge chunk
landscapes, religions and lifestyles co-exist, not always in harmon"
of tourists towards Trivandrum and from there to Kovalam. The growth potential
domestic tourism is a potential binding force. Social and economic
of the tourist trade is expected to be so heavy that from October to May the
are minimal, and vast amounts of scarce public resources need not be
ITDC is planni ng to operate charter flights from abroad to Trivandrum. Water
squandered on creating exclusive (defined as 'useless for most') facilities.
sports will be the major attraction for the foreign tourists. While the tourist
The Club of Rome warned us fifteen years ago of the consequences of
promotion agencies are busy planning for the growth, the resort has developed
exponential economic growth, yet tourism has paid little heed. Though the into one of the major vice centres of the state, the source for drugs like heroin
boom years are not yet over, there are signs that all is not well. The client is
conrd. owrif'di
the mindless member of a bovine herd, driven at the will of the
Imnlino it, nIIP<;tirmAhh" nml1llrt Frnlnov shrieks its shrill protest,
The World Tourism Organisation is consideri ng establishing an Institute for
Alternative Tourism. The timing is propitious and significant. So too we note
the formation of an AT Research Unit at the University of Ottawa in Canada.
The quest for planet-friendly tourism cannot be an individual journey, it requires
the strength of people from both within and outside the industry.
Paul Gonsalves