Caution on caravan tourism. Stakeholders flag safety, pollution concerns

Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas travelling on a caravan at Wagamon, Idukki, during the inauguration of the State’s first caravan park recently. Special Arrangement Special Arrangement

John L. Paul KOCHI

Even as caravans are being touted as the next best thing in Kerala’s tourism sector, key players advise caution, considering its potential impact on pollution-free locales with few accommodation options.

Tourism officials have been stating that caravans have the potential to emulate houseboats and homestays that catapulted the State’s tourism sector to global acclaim over a decade ago. They further say the entire ecosystem of Keravan Kerala — the brand name of the project — will be sustainable with power being sourced from the grid. Generators will just be a back-up in the event of a power outage, they say.

Narrow roads

But sceptics abound. “The bus-type caravans that can carry four guests are not suited for narrow, winding roads that lead to most remote tourism locales in Kerala. It will also leave a high per-capita carbon footprint,” says George Scaria, president, Tourism Professionals Club. “And unlike foreign tourists, most Indians prefer to keep the air-conditioning of the vehicle running throughout. This could affect the pristine locales, especially since many caravan parks have been envisaged near forest zones.”

Inspection constraints

He says the sensitivity of local people must be taken into account and lessons should be imbibed from the not-so-successful foray of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) into caravans. “In Kerala, only officials in the rank of Joint RTO and above can inspect the caravans, which could result in tardy execution of rules. Also, the premium tariff could lead to operators opting for hop-on, hop-off services in which multiple groups of guests would rent the same caravan each day, leading to undesirable outcomes,” says Mr. Scaria, whose firm once owned a fleet of 55 vehicles, including four buses.

Jose Dominic, an avid votary of sustainable tourism, calls for the need to popularise smaller, self-driven caravans.