Kerala, India: Tourism's Potential Impacts on Poverty Alleviation

This report delves into the multifaceted impacts of tourism on poverty alleviation in Kerala, South India, often referred to as "God's Own Country." It examines the background of Kerala's tourism industry, its rationale for analysis, and the aims and objectives of the research, including identifying tourism factors that alleviate poverty, evaluating the pros and cons of Kerala tourism on the poor, and discussing ways to enhance positive factors. The report reviews relevant literature on sustainable and pro-poor tourism, contrasting previous and contemporary theories. It also outlines the methodology, data collection methods, ethical considerations, and limitations of the research. The analysis considers both the positive economic contributions of tourism, such as revenue generation and job creation, and potential negative impacts, such as environmental degradation and social inequalities. The report aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of tourism's role in poverty reduction and suggest strategies for maximizing its benefits while mitigating its drawbacks, offering valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in the tourism sector. The report is a valuable resource for students seeking to understand the complexities of tourism's impact on poverty.

Analysing the Potential negative and positive
impacts of tourism on poverty alleviation using
various approaches in Kerala: South India
Naman Bhatia
Higher Diploma in International Hospitality and Tourism Operations
HTMI, Switzerland
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction...........................................................................................................................3
1.1 Background information...............................................................................................3
1.2 Rationale: Reason behind choosing Kerela for analysis........................................4
1.3 Aims and Objectives.....................................................................................................5
2. Literature Review...................................................................................................................6
2.1 Theory and concepts....................................................................................................6
2.1.1 Sustainable Tourism: Contrast between the previous and the present
conceptualizations...........................................................................................................6
2.1.2 The Contemporary theories: Focus on Pro Poor Tourism..............................7
2.2 Background to Primary Research..........................................................................10
2.3 Emperical Research...................................................................................................10
2.4 Research Gap.............................................................................................................12
3. Methodology........................................................................................................................14
3.1 Methods employed in carrying out the primary research.....................................14
3.2 Data Collection Method.............................................................................................15
3.3 Credibility and Confirmability of the research........................................................15
3.4 Ethical Considerations...............................................................................................16
3.5 Data Analysis..............................................................................................................16
3.6 Dependability and Transferability.............................................................................16
3.7 Limitations....................................................................................................................17
3.8 Reliability and Generalizability..................................................................................17
4. Conclusion............................................................................................................................18
References................................................................................................................................20
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1. Introduction
1.1 Background information
‘God’s own country’, the classic tagline which epitomises the state of Kerela.
Also referred to as the ‘Thailand of India’, to provide an appropriation of the
matchless beauty of the place (Simon and Unais 2014). Kerela is generously
blessed with pristine beaches, serene hill stations, prosperous plain lands, stretches
of greenery, majestic monuments, scenic surroundings, endless array of abodes to
seek the divine blessing, avenues to detoxify the stress of life, delectable local
cuisine having something in store for every palette and a whiff of history and culture
almost at around every corner (Simon and Unais 2014). This privilege has enabled
Kerela to be a hot spot of tourists almost all round the year.
Geographically located at the southernmost end of the western coast of
peninsular India, the state has always been a hub of lucrative trading activities, since
time immemorial. The Arabs in the ancient period, the Europeans almost coinciding
with the period of modernity, and investors from several parts of the world in the
contemporary period (Thimm 2017).
Being a home to some of the major religions of the world, Hinduism, Islam,
Christianity and Judaism, Kerela is also attracts tourists who come to seek spirituality
in the veritable shrines, a major portion of which dates back to the bygone era
(Simon and Unais 2014). These factors hint at the fact that there are several reasons
why Kerela receives such a high number of tourists round the year. These factors
have pushed for the creation of facilities which shall be catering to the ones who
arrive to the state. This is said to have not only benefitted the state in terms of
earning high revenues, but also the economically underprivileged sections of the
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population of the state (Kannan and Frenz 2017). The thesis statement of this
particular research proposal is the effect of tourism and its multi-faceted effect on the
poor people of the state.
1.2 Rationale: Reason behind choosing Kerela for analysis
The people, researching on tourism impacts on the poverty reduction, do not
take this issue critically; hence only a few studies have been indicated for this topic.
Some study basic assumption about tourism, which reaches those boundaries of the
world where even government and NGOs cannot (Manoj 2015). Further research is
required to gather higher input on how the effects of tourism directly help the poor
and help them overcome this instance.
The prime reason behind choosing Kerela as the destination for analysis lies
in the fact that it is one of the most sought after tourist spot amongst all the four
states of South India, and a major portion of the economy of the state is dependent
upon tourism. Like most other Indian states, Kerela has its fair share of poverty, and
to battle that the private agencies and the government agencies are making an
attempt to open even the unexplored avenues of the state to tourism in order to
eradicate poverty (Thimm 2017).
With a huge number of people moving out from the state to the Gulf region
majorly in search of livelihood, the unfortunate ones remaining back in the state are
left with tourism as an opportunity to earn their living. This has been has observed
and has been defined as Pro-Poor Tourism, which deserves attention (Manoj 2015).
The relevance of this research, or the rationale of this research lies in exploring the
prospects which tourism has created for the poorer section of the people residing in
Kerela. It also intends to reach at a conclusion with regard to the advantages and
disadvantages of the PPT initiative.
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1.3 Aims and Objectives
The aim of this research is to critically analyse the potential impacts of
national and international tourism in poverty alleviation, in the case of India.
In order to achieve these aims, the following objectives have been identified.
- To identify the various tourism factors which attempt to alleviate poverty in
Kerela.
- To examine the pros and cons of Kerela tourism on helping the poor segment.
- To discuss how the identified positive factors could be enhanced in order to
facilitate further poverty reduction into the future in Kerela.
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2. Literature Review
2.1 Theory and concepts
2.1.1 Sustainable Tourism: Contrast between the previous and the present
conceptualizations
The scholars of the yesteryears were fixated in their approach towards
tourism, which concerned itself exclusively with modernism and development. That
brand of thought did not seem to include the fact that tourism could also serve as a
source of sustenance for a section of the society who are underprivileged and
economically dependent on tourism for seeking livelihood (George and Jiang 2018).
In the views of that branch of scholars that alternative forms of tourism shall never
emerge as a concept successfully, and the charm of mass tourism shall never go out
of fashion or relevance. They opine that in order to maintain that status quo, the
capitalist forces functioning at the international level shall ensure that for the sake of
its own survival (Badulescu, Badulescu and Dorin 2015). According to them the
entire branch of intellectual enquiry related to tourism was being subsumed within
the fold of a homogenous conceptualization which shall be taking all the divisions
and sub-divisions in the field. That is attribute to the fact that tourism is essentially a
cross border movement of people for various purposes apart from leisure, which is
bringing the developing and the developed world in close contact with each other,
and as a result of it the specificities of tourism and its nuances are getting diluted
(Chavan and Bhola 2015). That logic is quite pertinent, and is very much prevalent in
the international sphere, but a change is being brought about and that has been
observed by the scholars, which shall be discussed in the next section.
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The modernization theory is very valid for the case of Kerela in the sense that
prior to the advent of the Pro Poor Tourism in the country the tourism sector was
very much oriented towards earning more revenues. The aim was to open up to the
world market and enter the international market (Chavan and Bhola 2015). It was
very much evident in the fact that massive expansion of facilities for accommodating
tourists had taken place along with the popularization of the most famous tourist
spots of the country. Later on from the 2000s onwards a change in the pattern of
tourism had emerged, which shall be discussed in the next section (Chavan and
Bhola 2015).
2.1.2 The Contemporary theories: Focus on Pro Poor Tourism
The concept of Pro Poor Tourism is quite broad and it would be an injustice if
all the theoretical propositions propounded by several scholars is not discussed to
substantiate the fact that an autonomous branch of enquiry, and an alternative form
of tourism is gathering popularity these days (Chavan and Bhola 2015). Pro Poor
Tourism represents the paradigmatic shift in the structure of tourism in Kerela which
had taken place from the 2000s. It is the form of tourism which is not commercial per
se, but the remuneration generated by it was aimed at helping the poor people out
and also for revamping the grass root level economy. This goes as far as the
definitional aspect of Pro Poor Tourism is concerned (Chavan and Bhola 2015). In
this section, the various theoretical explanations shall be discussed. The
theorizations have evolved and have changed over time from subtly mentioning of
the role of tourism in eradicating poverty to reaching a point of very explicitly
mentioning of it in the agenda (Chavan and Bhola 2015).
The Modernization theory of the western world which was popularized during
the 1950s and the 60s propagated that the third world countries revamp themselves
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with capabilities so as to increase their own purchasing power and develop
themselves (Giampiccali and Saayman 2015). This idea was utilized by creating
more opportunities for tourism so as to lure the tourists having huge purchasing
power, and thereby make them spend a huge amount of fortune in the third world
countries where the facilities shall be affordable and at the same time exotic to the
Western clients predominantly (Giampiccali and Saayman 2015).
The Dependency theory, an offshoot of the Modernization theory, in the 1960s
and the 70s related tourism as a method to alleviate poverty to the phenomenon of
the third world being dependent upon the first world for the logistical help required for
building up the infrastructure (Badulescu, Badulescu and Dorin 2015). It was also a
tactic to ensure that the third world countries open up their markets, liberalize their
economies and their respective governments interfere less in the business activities
(Badulescu, Badulescu and Dorin 2015). It would not be unjustified to say that the
dependency theory sought to give the sense of fulfilment to the Modernization
theory, so that promises made by it could be materialized. Certain obstacles, like the
policy of protectionism undertaken by the governments of the third world countries,
the lack of investment from the wealthy nations, the lack of technological expertise in
the third world, all of it had created for dependency of the third world on the first
world, and also for creating opportunities for tourism (Mathew and Sreejesh 2017).
The Neo Liberal paradigm of the 1970s and 80s seemed to echo of the same
sentiment as the one propagated by the Dependency theorist (Kokkranikal and
Chettiparamb 2015). The unique factor of this particular paradigm is that it very
explicitly mentions of the necessary structural adjustments to suit the requirements in
the field of tourism, which called for rampant privatization of the economy. It was so
that the global capitalist forces could find it easier to pool in their resources and have
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the assurance that they will be earning their fair share of profit as well, besides
curing the problem of poverty by creating more job opportunities (Kokkranikal and
Chettiparamb 2015). This paradigm viewed alleviating poverty as an issue which
ought to be dealt with by giving more emphasis on the economic aspect of poverty,
and that only money had the solution. That was somehow a one sided treatment of
the issue of poverty, without taking into account the social aspect of it, and giving
emphasis only to the economic aspect of it (Sharpley and Telfer 2015). These
paradigms, which have been discussed so far, have one thing in common in them,
the scholars have tended to have a very parochial attitude towards poverty which is
reflective in their attitude to understand the problem only from the economic point of
view without giving any importance to the social setting in which the poor people
lived (Truong, Slabbert and Nguyen 2016). However, the paradigms which shall be
discussed henceforth are reflective of the change that has been brought about in the
thinking of poverty, hence the solutions too shall be quite holistic harping upon
multiple issue areas (Jamal and Camargo 2014).
With the turn of the 1980s, there have been a sea change in the thought
process of defining the issue of poverty, and finding the relevant solution. This
approach in the Pro Poor Tourism is defined as the Alternative Approach ( Truong
2014). The Alternative Development theorists of the 1980s was designed to ensure
that all the other factors which could generate a positive effect on not just the local
economy, but also help out the community so that the true essence of poverty
alleviation could be brought about (George and Jiang 2018). The aim which the neo
realists, post the 1980s had nurtured was to ensure that not just one poor person,
but the entire community of poor people residing at a particular area could be
redeemed. The benefits were envisaged to be distributed more equitably and no
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amount of damage to the local culture, the local biodiversity be made (Truong,
Slabbert and Nguyen 2016). The development of tourism in Kerela, and the ushering
in of the concept of Pro Poor Tourism has followed this sequence, and the difference
in approach is quite visible in the flourishing of the new genre in tourism, that is Pro
Poor Tourism.
2.2 Background to Primary Research
The alternative development approach in the 1980s sought to harp on
the aspect of development from the grassroot level, which involved building a sense
of awareness about the local culture and the environmental issues. The preliminary
aim was to secure the basis materialistic requisites of life to the people living in
poverty stricken conditions, and thereby take steps to improve further (Sharpley and
Telfer 2015). The alternative development approach from the 1990s sought to come
about to the idea of making the local economies capable of facing the challenges of
the globalized world, by keeping intact the previously cherished values (Kokkranikal
and Chettiparamb 2015). From the 2000s onwards, with the popularization of the
post development approach, a change was brought about in the conceptualization
which sought to come about to the idea of overarching principles in defining the
global nature of tourism. Factors which connected global issues with the local ones
gained prominence, like transnational movements against the exploitative practices
of capitalism, the global environmental policies which seek to curb the ecological
problems arising out of mass tourism and a more profound emphasis on poverty
reduction (Truong 2015).
This shows that a change has been brought about in the field of intellectual
enquiry in tourism industry.
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2.3 Emperical Research
As per the reports, Kumarakom region of Kerela is the only place which
has shown glorious results as per the expectations and vision of the Pro Poor
Tourism in the state (Mathew and Kumar 2014). The local farmers and the women
have been benefitted by the Samruddhi Homestead Initiative, and the Eeramattom
Enterprise respectively. They have been helped by being allowed an opportunity to
sell their vegetables and provide catering facilities against a fair price (George
2015). An estimated seven million tourists from several parts of India, and almost
half a million from international destinations have started arriving at Kerela, after the
launching of the Pro Poor Tourism, which is definitely indicative of the increase in the
rate of tourism in the state (Chaudhuri 2017). Owing to the application of the
concept of Pro Poor Tourism in the state, it has enabled the task of modernization
and infrastructural development programme to gather a huge momentum. Previously
the areas which were almost inaccessible to even the people of Kerela, have been
opened up to not only the people of the state, but also to the people from all over the
world (George 2015). This has caused quite a lot of benefits for the people living in
the remote interiors of the state. Firstly, the facilities and services have increased in
those areas, like hospitals, shops and other public utility servies, which were earlier
neglected, since the requirements of the tourists had to be catered to. Those
facilities could be availed by the local people in case of emergencies (George 2015).
Secondly, the list of touristic spots have also expanded, thereby causing the
stereotypical image of Kerela associated with only a chosen few landmarks to get
broadened, and that has also shown itself by generating the positive impact of
income opportunities (George 2015). This goes as far as the advantages of applying
the concept of Pro Poor Tourism in the state of Kerela is concerned.
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However on the flip side there have been certain problems witnessed by the
tourism sector in the state. The tourism sector has been broadened for the sake of
benefitting the poor people, but they are not being able to enjoy the benefits of it as it
has been envisaged. The increasing flow of tourists have created the problem of
sewage treatment and management in the state due to which the rate of tourism has
gone down by leaps and bounds especially since 2014 (Kokkranikal and
Chettiparamb 2015). The tactics of overcharging tourists availing of the house boat
leisure options have also made once most preferred destinations like Alappuzah and
Kumarakom to come down to sixth and eighth positions respectively. Not only that,
unchecked expansion of tourism has actually caused the poor ones of the state to
incur just meagre monetary gains while the rich businessmen are incurring the
maximum amount of benefits (George 2015). The poor people are also being
relocated and displaced on a regular basis to make space for accommodating more
and more tourists, which further marginalized the already marginalized people of the
state. The living space of the indigenous people had to be sacrificed for the sake of
the tourists who spent their times in the state for a temporary period of time
(Sharpley and Telfer 2015). These are the disadvantages of Pro Poor Tourism in the
state of Kerela.
In the section 2.1 there has been a discussion on the theories against whose
backdrop the discussion on Pro Poor Tourism has been conducted throughout the
body. The connection with the empirical research and the contemporary and the
theories of sustainability lies in the fact that it is quite helpful in assessing the role of
Pro Poor Tourism in alleviating poverty and to show if it has at all benefitted the
people or not.
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