Kerala is not a totally developed market for various tourism products as we see in the advanced countries in the West. Thus, it can be suggested that certain patterns of development will be influenced by the nature and scope of the tourism market. They will vary according to whether development is targeted at a domestic or an international clientele, but more significant distinctions will normally exist between the elite and the mass forms of tourism. The levels of cultural similarity/dissimilarity between the host and the visitor may also be reflected in the manner in which development is organized.
We can exemplify how these different elements interact to produce varying forms of tourism development by examining the three most common development ‘outcomes’ involving:
• Tourist enclaves
• Resorts and
• Zones
In places like Munnar, which is considered as a popular hill station, there is a proliferation of resorts. At first these resorts were not much known to the outside world and fewer people visited this place. But things have started changing recently with major advances being made in the information technology sector. Today any tourism destination can be promoted through a properly managed web site.
In Kerala honeymoon package could attract more customers mainly due to the promotional activities undertaken through the web. The development of tourism in the hill stations is not uniform, but major developments have taken place due to the bold decision taken by the budding entrepreneurs that have gained much experience when working in scores of prominent tourism destinations in other parts of the country and also abroad. The packaged tourism products now generate more income. Almost all the prominent resorts and hotels now offer such packages.
