Tourism and economic development: going hand in hand

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In conditions where the local planning processes and control are poor, development will tend to be spontaneous and will produce anarchic patterns in which the negative impacts will often be more pronounced. When analyzing the examples of linear-zonal development across the globe, we get important insights into the current state of affairs. It is widely evident when investigating these aspects in certain parts of Kerala. When exploring Kerala travels across the length and breadth of the state will reveal this one aspect.

The physical developments in tourism are, of course, linked with a range of environmental and social impacts, but the closest ties are arguably economic in character. Tourism may:

·Aid economic development through the generation of foreign exchange earnings
·Exert beneficial effects upon the balance of payment accounts
·Create substantial volumes of employment
·Assist in the redistribution of wealth from the richer to the poorer regions
·Promote and finance infrastructural improvements
·Diversify economies and create new patterns of economic linkages

Less positively, however, tourism’s economic effect may also:

·Increase the dependence upon foreign investors and companies
·Introduce instabilities and weaknesses in the labor markets
·Divert investments from other areas of development

In Kerala, the travel and tourism sector is a major contributor to not only the state exchequer but also to the Gross Domestic Product (GNP). This is due to the fact that this state is blessed with a salubrious climate due to the large sea coast along the Indian Ocean. From beach resorts to hill stations, this place teems with a wide biodiversity unseen elsewhere. In the coming years, more developments are expected when the global recession gives way to an economic boom.