Abstract
Tourism never existed alone. Fair contribution to tourism is through infrastructure developments. John Urry states, “The tourism itself is a unique and central element in contemporary society” and Tourism is travel for pleasure or business, it is the theory and practice of touring and business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists. However, none of these would be possible without the integration of resources, ideas, and facilities in the tourist destination. A clear path of travel or itinerary and its execution become the best experience for a tourist. This requires factors like ‘what do I get to see?’, ‘how do I get there?’, ‘where do I stay?’. These are the exhibit, path, and infrastructure that needs to be integrated to serve the visitor. Kerala, a state in India is often cited as ‘God’s own Country’ to project its unique advantages on the tourism front. But the unscientific use of the State’s natural resources has led to the fast degradation of the natural environment thus adversely affecting sustainability in the long run. This study critically analyzes the environmental management and competitiveness of nature based tourist destinations globally and focusing on Kerala backwater tourism from the perspective of the natural environment and its sustainability and address the current ecological aspects of the tropical region that is immensely loved by tourists and develop an integrated backwater tourist circuit map that can develop the local infrastructure, boost the local economy and thereby re-invent facilities for local, domestic and international tourists.
Presenters
Frank JoseStudent, Masters in Architecture, Illinois Institute of Technology, Illinois, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Changing Dimensions of Contemporary Tourism
KEYWORDS
ECOLOGY, ECONOMY, NATURE, MAP, ARCHITECTURE, INFRASTRUCTURE, TROPICAL, ENVIROMENT, MANAGEMENT, COMPETITION
