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Chill out in Kerala
Bureaucrats, celebrities and businessmen are all heading south to sun-kissed beaches, reports Ramesh Babu.
Looking for a way to beat the cold? Chill out in Kerala, like the country's rich and powerful are doing. Bureaucrats, celebrities and businessmen are all heading south to the sun-kissed beaches and balmy backwaters of God's Own Country to escape the icy blast. And the state tourism industry is loving it.
Officials point out that there has been at least a 50 per cent hike in people calling up to inquire about travel packages in the last two weeks alone. The majority is from Delhi and neighbouring states. Most are ready to shell out exorbitant prices for a place to stay.
Away from the prying eyes of the media, human resource development minister Arjun Singh spent a quite week in Kovalam's renowned beach resort. Minister for rural development Raghuvansh Prasad is not far behind. He arrives here on Monday with a jumbo parliamentary consultative committee -- 22 MPs and umpteen bureaucrats -- in tow. With most hotels brimming with tourists, government officials are at a fix as to where to put them up.
Foreigners are also warming up to Kerala. Afghan foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and his six-member family are in Kochi on a private visit. Bowled over by the lush backwaters, Chinese ambassador Sun Yuxi had even suggested Alapuzha as a possible venue for the next round of India-China talks.
Most VIPs and celebrities, however, want to travel incognito. "They make that a condition before finalising their itinerary," managing director of Kerala Travels Chandrahasan said. Billionaire Owsley Brown, CEO of the Brown Forman, largest wine and spirit firm, was here for five days. Only when slipped out of the country did the media get a whiff.
"Besides politicians and celebrities, a lot of business meetings, conventions and exhibition are also heading for Kerala. For most MNCs and IT firms, this is the perfect way to mix business with pleasure," E.M. Najeeb, a leading tour operator of the state said.
