Motivations behind tourism related activities in Kerala

Until recent times, that just a decade ago, the tourism industry did not witness the developments that we see today. In Kerala, and that too in those days, the main tourist center that attracted people from other parts of the globe was the beach front, Kovalam. No other place could attract so many foreigners.

Only one form of tourism was popular in those times and that was beach tourism. In modern times, many other forms of tourism have made a maiden entry. They are ayurveda tourism, health tourism, medical tourism, sports tourism, adventure tourism, backwater tourism and a host of other types of tourism related activities.

Having referred to the form of tourism and its classification according to the purpose of travel, it may now be of interest to study what motivates travel and what stimulates people to choose certain attractions and activities rather than others. Macintosh has stated that basic travel motivators may be grouped along certain indicators.

In Kerala tour operators have always taken care to offer the right package to the tourist by keeping in mind the visitors’ tastes and preferences. Before offering a tour package to a maiden visitor, the tour operators used to study the preferences of the tourist from his occupation, his hobbies and the preference towards particular topics. Thus selling a particular tour package became easier.

Almost all the successful tour operators in Kerala started from small beginnings. Only through professional transparent approaches could they gain the confidence of the customer. Thus, those who have survived the vagaries of the highly volatile market are a class apart from those that have totally exited from this business. Making a beginning is in itself a difficult task, but continuing in the business is even harder in a state like Kerala.