Alleppey – the Venice of the East?

Alleppey – the Venice of the East?

by Madeleine Bargh, Ewan Henderson, Louisa Rodani, Maru Pihema

Alleppey is known as the Venice of the East and is one of the oldest parts of India. Originally, in pre biblical times, Alleppey thrived as a trade port for Arab countries, and then throughout the British colonisation, was known for its teak wood and spices such as pepper and cardamom.

Unfortunately with the development of Cochin Port, Alleppey was all but abandoned and only known for its backwaters and house boats.

Stunning green and luscious vegetation with a relaxed holiday attitude, Alleppey’s Lake Vandanam not only provided an obvious fishing industry but a popular tourism spot. Eventually, fishermen may have seen the lucrative tourism industry as an easier option than hauling nets, so took to running the house boats as a business.

As the house boat weaved around the back waters of Lake Vandanam, and we absorbed some of the peacefulness and tranquility that is felt all over the Kerala region, we could easily see why there would be a strong desire to promote tourism in such a beautiful part of the world.

There can be many benefits to tourism on both sides of the transaction, but what about the costs? What are the Kerala locals gaining from tourism and who is paying the costs?

At every turn, we see the incongruence between corporate resources thrown at consumer driven billboards promoting national brands to a minority socio-economic elite market; and the inadequacy of the community resources to improve the physical and eco-environment in both urban and rural areas.

In particular, the obvious effort and resources invested in outdoor advertising appears to be in stark contrast to the seeming lack of investment in dealing with evident environmental issues.

Although, in comparison to other more tourist populated destinations in India, Kerala is still less affected by environmental damage ... perhaps it's not too late to shift the priorities onto further improving Kerala’s eco-environment in preparation for an increase in tourist numbers?

There is no doubt that Kerala’s waters offer a unique contribution to India’s tourism industry; but in order to avoid pushing Kerala towards environmental degradation, the focus needs to be on global and national corporate responsibility in order for the benefits to have a positive affect on the local community.