Panchami Menon: An Eco-Tourism Consultant

Last year when I went as the Junior Executive of Bimage, a Singapore based company for Kerala Travel Mart( one of the best travel mart in the world), I honestly didn’t feel like me. Even though it was a HUGE experience for me and a great opportunity, internally I felt out of place.
So, this year I went as an Eco-Tourism Consultant, as a member of the NGO, Environmental Protection and Research Council (EPRC) for Mysore Travel Mart. It was inaugurated my the Tourism Minister, Government of India, Mr Alphonse Kannanthanam. His honorable presence was much appreciated and his promises for a better economy was a delightful news.

Gathering up my experience from the previous year, I mastered it this year. This time I focused on stalls which have their properties built on eco-sensitive spots or those that promote or claim to conserve the nature.

I came across stalls which carried attractive taglines like “Mesmerizing Moments In The Misty Mountains”, “The Jungle Hideout”, “Nature’s Castle”, “The Nest Of Nature”, “Tread Softly, You’re Entering Nature’s Home Ground” etc, the green lover in me was totally imprisoned. So, I would like to partition the whole day’s conversation I had with different stalls into three groups:

Group 1: The “You’re a Malayali and you’re communicating with us in English?!” Gang

There were a few stalls run by properties hailing in Wayanad, Kerala who were more interested in making me to talk in Malayalam rather than telling me why they were destroying the ecosystem because of the careless manner by which they run the properties.

Me: The pictures from this brochure show that you have this property constructed in a very ecologically sensitive spot. Did you have the area studied on terms of the ecosystem before you had it constructed?

Seller: No. But, see we have four lakes that surround our area and we encourage fishing there.

(I swear, some people don’t even understand the concept I talk about. Most do not even have proper license”

Me: How do you control the human animal conflicts occurring here?

Seller: Electric fences and chemical pesticides

(when I told them how negatively this impacts the ecology, they don’t get it)

Seller: how come you’re a malayali and not talk to us in malayalam? It’s very shameful.

(This is marketing goals people. Take note)

Me: when you plant non-indigenous trees like red palm in Wayanad, it strikes off the ecosystem. It does not require insects to pollinate it. I suggest you to plant trees indigenous to Wayanad.

Seller: But, it ruins the beauty of the place.

(Well, I this is just a part of a big conversation. I just wanted to list out the biggest parts I found disrespectful and disappointing)

Group 2: The Silent Nodders

I asked them the same points as I did to Group 1. Nods. I got nods a my reply. Either they don’t know the answers to what I asked or they were mentally replying with sarcastic remarks. I’d like to believe the former.

Group 3: Nature Lovers

Do I even need to go in detail about this group? This is not only the group that was dedicated to the tourism field but also, since they know their subject, they know how important a role nature plays in tourism. This is the group that knows how to leave nature on its own. They do not interrupt it. They do not care about my mother-tongue either.

I believe that it is because of this group that South India has economic flow via tourism. Their dedication to their field and the passion that fire up ashes in their eyes melted my heart.

Some of the properties that hoist this group are: Ibini, The Deep Woods, and Wild Planet.