Backwater Tourism : RT Initiatives and Socio-Environmental Dynamics

The Vembanad Lake is an iconic tourist place and an identified Ramsar Site. Over the years, it has been touted as an established backwater tourism region. Vembanad Lake is also the biggest fresh water lake in Kerala and the people around are profoundly dependent on its offerings for their livelihood. Kumarakom, the premier backwater tourism destination in the region is listed as part of the Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative of Kerala Tourism. An in-depth enquiry has brought to light the road blocks with respect to the RT initiatives and the thematic analysis and inferences shall strengthen the blueprint so as to enable the planners, policymakers, and tourism service providers fine tune the societal dynamics as well as take remedial measures for the preservation of the depleting lake ecosystem in a sustainable manner.