It is no secret that the tourism sector, which used to be one of the most thriving industries in the State, had faced a severe setback after the 2018 floods. The southern districts of Idukki, Kottayam and Alappuzha are still facing the repercussions more than a year later. However, it is also true that these sites have made a splendid comeback, despite the many constraints.
Two cyclists are planning a ride from the southern tip of the State to the northern tip, visiting the affected places, with an aim to showcase the resurgence of the Kerala villages after the flood and send out a message to the tourists.
Sahir Abdul Jabbar of Kozhikode has teamed up with Salim Valiyaparamba, an NRI, for this endeavour, that will be flagged off by Sports Minister E.P. Jayarajan in Thiruvananthapuram on November 30. “There is a campaign going on that our tourism sector has collapsed. We plan to upload on social media platforms the photographs and videos from the places we visit to prove the campaign wrong,” Mr. Jabbar said. The pictures will also be uploaded on the website of the Responsible Tourism Mission.
The duo is backed by the departments of Sports, tourism and ports as their ride has multiple purposes.
Promoting Beach Games
The ride will be a promotional event for the Beach Games which will be organised by the Department of Sports across the Kerala coast during November and December 2019. It plans to highlight the issues faced by the coastal sector of Kerala, including the illegal encroachments and livelihood issues. It will be a campaign urging the development of the traditional ports in the State as well as the National Waterway project.
“In European countries, there is a culture of using bicycles to supplement their thriving water transportation. This is an attempt to bring focus on that aspect, as both are eco-friendly means of transport,” Mr. Jabbar said.
The cyclists will be joined by members of local cycle clubs in every district. The ride is being organised under the aegis of Grand Cycle Challenge of the Kozhikode-based NGO Green Care Mission, of which Mr. Jabbar is the coordinator.
