The Hindu : Kerala News : Hawker menace plagues tourism in State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 16, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Hawker menace plagues tourism in State

Photo: S. Mahinsha

HELPLESS: A foreign tourist reacts to a plea for alms at the Thiruvananthapuram airport.

Tourists arriving for holidaying in ‘God’s Own Country’ are now confronted with a different problem — of hawkers and beggars.

Hawkers assemble near the arrival gate and on the road in front of the Airport Director’s office and pester tourists. Those who arrive by chartered flights from Gatwick and Sweden during odd hours are the worst hit.

Illegal parking of taxies and private cars en route to the exit gate of the airport has given hawkers a perfect cover. Tourists go through an ordeal to reach the parking ground in front of the international terminal and the other near the domestic terminal.

Personnel of the Tourism police, traffic police, local police and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is in charge of the overall security of the airport, remain mute spectators to this pestering.

Complaints that trolley retrievers are demanding tips from the tourists had also been brought to the notice of the tour operators handling chartered tourists.

“Pestering by hawkers and beggars is a big nuisance to holidayers and it will tarnish the name of the destination,” says Varghese Oommen, managing director of Destination Indus.

Training programme

Kerala Tourism had recently organised a training programmes for all taxi drivers attached to the affiliated trade unions under the ‘Let’s Learn initiative.’

V. Venu, secretary, Kerala Tourism, told The Hindu that the problems posed by hawkers and beggars on the airport premises had not been brought to the attention of the tourism authorities. “We will take up the issue with the airport authorities to ensure that the tourists are not harassed in any way,” he said.

Things are also not fine in the beach resort of Kovalam. Two incidents of looting of foreign tourists had already been reported from near the Light House after the arrival of the first chartered flight on November 2.

Dr. Venu says the department will urge the city police personnel to keep vigil at the beach resort and to strengthen patrolling during night time.

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

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