Lakshadweep Tourism 2006

8/8/2019 Lakshadweep Tourism 2006

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162/13/029 - Conserving Giant Clams Through A Community Reserve In The Lakshadweep Islands

Annex 8: Tourism Page 1 of 18

Annex 8

TOURISM IN LAKSHADWEEP

Baseline Data (Kavaratti, Agatti and Bangaram) in Preparation for the TourismManagement Plan

1. Introduction

The Lakshadweep Islands are Indias tropical coral reefs in the Arabian Sea. The 36

islands of Lakshadweep comprise of 32 km2

area and have 4,200 km2

lagoon buzzingwith marine wildlife. Lakshadweeps unpolluted crystal clear lagoons, white powderysandy beaches, rich traditions, unique matrilineal Muslim culture, and the still existing

adventures and challenges to reach the islands (from getting a permit to the uncertaintyof the weather even in the fair-season ranging only from November through April) attracttourists from all over the world.

The land area of any island of Lakshadweep however, is too small for any major tourisminfrastructure development no matter how minimal the environmental impact would be.

For preventing unnecessary environmental stress on these fragile islands theAdministration of Lakshadweep promotes a low volume & high value tourism which isfocused on water-based activities (diving, snorkeling etc) and regulates the number oftourists by issuing limited number of permits annually.

2. History of Tourism in Lakshadweep

With the economic development of the Union of India Lakshadweep also strengthens its

economy. It has been realised, however, that only two sectors fisheries and tourism -could be developed with the resources currently available. In terms of incomegeneration, fisheries bring the most revenue closely followed by tourism.

Tourism, however, emerged only a few years ago as an activity generating significantincome. The emergence began with the onset of regular transport and communicationservices between the mainland and Lakshadweep: first on sea in the mid 1970s, and

later on by air in the late 1980s as the following short history illustrates.

In the old days there was no ship service for Lakshadweep and people traveled only in

the locally made odams. Odams are traditional wooden row-boats which can also beused as a sailing boats. The unique, indigenous navigational science of Lakshadweepwas used for guiding sailors between mainland and Lakshadweep.

In 1962 a small, 12 passenger capacity ship was introduced to Lakshadweep. This was

the time when the history of mechanized ship transport began in Lakshadweep. In thesedays tourism was not considered as an economic activity. In 1974 the operation of a newship M.V Aminidivi gave new impetus to the transport sector which also helped the

development of tourism. Adding two more vessels M.V Bharat Seema and M.V TipuSultan strengthened the marine transport sector of Lakshadweep and also catalysed the


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further development of tourism industry in Lakshadweep. Tipu Sultan was suitable for

tourists and its schedule gave due consideration to tourists departure and arrival time.Adding two small 150 fully air-conditioned passenger ships - M.V Aminidivi and M.VMinicoy - further helped the movement of tourists.

In 1974 Bangaram, an uninhabited island near Agatti, was opened up and got dedicatedto international tourism, and with this event the organized tourism officially commenced

in Lakshadweep. Till 1982 the Hotel Corporation of India was looking after Bangaram.From 1982 SPORTS the Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism & Sports, aregistered government funded body - managed Bangarams resorts. Later on the CasinoGroup Hotels Earth (earlier Casio Hotels) took over the management of Bangaramislands based on a lease from SPORT. The success of the Bangaram experiment

encouraged the Administration of Lakshadweep to go further with its expansion plans of

the tourism sector which lead to opening up other islands e.g. Kavarathi, Kadmat,Kalpeni, Minicoy for domestic tourists. Agatti caters for both domestic as well asinternational tourists.

Over the last decade tourists arrived to Lakshadweep on sea and by air with an averageof 3,625 arrivals per year including domestic and overseas arrivals with a fluctuation of30-40% (compared to the average). The arrival reached a minimum at 1,537 in1999/20001, and the maximum exceeded 4,860 in 1991/2 and 1996/7. Overseas touristsconstitute 30% of the total arrivals in average see Table 1 Tourist arrivals, 1992-2002

Table 1 Tourist arrivals, 1992-2002

Year Number of TouristsIndian Foreign Total

1992 - 93 2,287 1,150 3,437

1993 - 94 2,965 408 3,373

1994 95 3,166 1,059 4,225

1995 96 3,470 1,210 4,680

1996 97 3,502 1,359 4,861

1997 98 2,900 1,223 4,123

1998 99 1,999 736 2,735

1999 00 1,379 741 2,120

2000 01 2,992 871 3,863

2001 - 02 3,259 539 3,798

Source: Lakshadweep Administration http://lakshadweep.nic.in/Tourism.PDF

Currently the total tourist bed capacity is around 185 in Lakshadweep covering a varietyof accommodation types see Table 2 Tourist Accommodation Facilities in

1Probably due to the Y2K and related communication and transport concerns. The 2004

December tsunamis effect on the South-Asian region has also affected the island tourismbusiness (data collection in progress).


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Lakshadweep, 2001/2 and Table 3 Distribution of Tourist Huts in Lakshadweep,

2005/06.

Table 2 Tourist Accommodation Facilities in Lakshadweep, 2001/2

Islands Family

Hut

Beds Restau

rants

Special

Huts

Beds Executive

Huts (AC)

Beds Prefab

Huts

Beds Private

Huts

Beds Total Bed

Capacity

Kavaratti 5 10 1 10

Bangaram 30 60 1 60

Kadmat 10 20 1 8 16 8 22 1 2 60

Kalpeni 1 4 8 8

Minicoy 2 10 20 3 6 26

Agatti 10 20 20Total 45 90 6 8 16 28 62 1 2 7 14 184

Source: Basic Statistics of Lakshadweep http://lakshadweep.nic.in/Tourism.PDF

Table 3 Distribution of Tourist Huts in Lakshadweep, 2005/6

Name ofresort

Island of operation Current accommodation status Owned/leased

SPORTS (Govtowned)

Kavaratti, Kalpeni,Kadmat, Minicoy,Bangaram

20 Beds New Resort, 06 Beds Private Huts(Minicoy),10 Beds Paradise Huts (Kavaratti)

08 Beds Private Huts (Kalpeni)22 Beds Executive Huts20 Beds Family Huts16 Beds honeymoon Huts1 pre fabricated Hut (Kadmat)

Owninfrastructure

Casino Hotels BANGARAM Island 60 Beds Traditional Huts On lease

AIBER Agatti Island 20 Beds Island Resorts On lease

Lacadives Kadmat Island Only dive operation, huts are under directcontrol of SPORTS.

On lease

Source: Project Giant Clam

3. Low Volume & High Value Water-based Tourism

Lakshadweeps tourism development guidelines and policies are developed by the

Island Development Authority (IDA) which also makes recommendations for the overall

development of the Lakshadweep Islands. Lakshadweeps current tourism policies canbe characterized by a few salient features, one of them being the often quoted highvalue & low volume approach:

Salient Features of Lakshadweeps Tourism Policy


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Conservation of the fragile ecological and environmental structures.

Protection of the unique local culture and social fabric. Promotion of high value and low volume tourism

Promotion of sustainable tourism based on the islands carrying capacity.

Promotion of sea-based ship tourism for larger numbers of visitors.

Promotion of air-based tourism for high value tourists only.

The Administration Guidelines on Tourism

The policies and guidelines prepared by the Union Territory of Lakshadweep to promotesustainable tourism fall into four categories regarding their

1. Impacts on physical environment2. Impacts on ecological environment3. Impacts on human use values, and

4. Impacts on quality of life values.

In order to prevent any adverse affects the Administration promotes tourism only onthose islands that can sustain tourism sustainably - keeping the concept of carryingcapacity in view

2.

Tourism facilities were/are developed carefully to avoid any loss of biodiversity. Nodevelopment is permitted in geologically unstable zone. Adequate buffer-zone has beenprovided between development and existing shoreline. The construction of high-rise

structures is banned. The policy only allows development that is in harmony with nature.Only those types of construction materials and building methods are allowed that arecompatible with the environment, and the height, shape and location of the buildingmerge with the natural vegetation.

Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was performed for all tourism projects beforeimplementation. (However, these EIAs do not identify impacts on reefs and marine life).The following aspects were considered in the EIAs.

All proposed construction should have thatched roof or tiled sloping roof. Rainwater harvesting should be set up to conserve freshwater.

Pump sets usage should be minimized to make sure that pump sets have a cut-

off mechanism and water below the minimum safe level is not drawn.

2There is, however, no document to support this. Project Giant Clam is currently researching and

developing a discussion paper on selected islands - including Agatti and Bangaram - carrying capacity oftourism. This paper will be widely discussed with stakeholders to integrate the key messages into theTourism Management Plan of the Marine Community Reserve.


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Waste disposal system like incinerators for non-recyclable/non bio-degradable

waste should be installed and system of returning (composting) all non-biodegradable waste must be in position.

Minimum cutting of tress / greenery and maximum plantation of trees, plants,shrubs and creepers should be adopted

A study on carrying capacity should be performed before taking up anydevelopment plan for an uninhabited island.

A system should be established to raise tourists awareness of this ecosystemfragility and vulnerability.

Domestic and International Tourism

The Administration of Lakshadweep promotes both domestic and international tourism.Most domestic tourists arrive by ship based package-tours covering three islands, e.g.Kavarathi, Agatti and Kalpeni. Tourists leave the ship in the morning, participate in

various water-based activities and return to the ship in the evening. This arrangement isdesigned to protect the islands fragile environmental resources including drinking water.The experiment of day tourism has been found successful.

International tourists heading to either Bangaram or Agatti arrive by flying from Kochi toAgatti island, the only island which has an airport. Agatti is also the nearest island toBangaram. From Agatti to Bangaram tourists use a local boat service. Internationaltourists stay in designated resorts.

Water Sports

With its vast lagoons Lakshadweep has emerged as Indias most desired water-sportdestination. Understanding the potential of water-sports, the Department of Tourism hasbeen made significant efforts to make these islands attractive not only within the countrybut internationally as well.

Since the carrying capacity of Lakshadweeps small islands has to be consideredseriously, all activities related to tourism are implemented with utmost care. Accordingly

as discussed above - sea-based tourism was recommended in order to ensure thatland resources are not overtaxed.

The Department of Tourism has concentrated on developing water-sports facilities withdue consideration to the fragile ecology of these islands. Only non-intrusive water-sportsare encouraged. Therefore, water-sports like water scooters, etc has been deliberatelykept out. Another feature of water-sports in Lakshadweep is the development of high

yielding adventure water sports like scuba-diving and para-sailing.

The Department of Tourism has set up a full-fledged water sports institute on Kadmat

Island. This institute offers facilities for scuba-diving, kayaking, canoeing, yachting,snorkeling, wind-surfing and water skiing. Scuba diving centers operate also on Kavarattiand Kadmat islands. These three centres cater to the well-heeled and adventuroustourists from both India and other countries.


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Recent Developments

New ship building contract signed

The Lakshadweep Administration signed ship construction contracts for threehigh-speed passenger vessels:

150 passenger high speed vessel at Penguin Shipyard International PvtLtd. Singapore.

20 passenger high speed vessel at NGV Tech SDN, BHD, Malaysia.

15 passenger high speed vessel at NGV Tech SDN, BHD, Malaysia.

Star Cruises started operation in October 2005

Star Cruises, one of the international luxury ship liners have started their

operations in October 2005. They are operating a 5 day 4 night package with the

following itinerary: Mumbai Kadmat island Goa Mumbai

Organised by Star Cruises 200 1,000 tourists visit Kadmat for half- or wholeday once a week.

Star Cruises would need 50 local tour guides for their operation who can speak

English and/or Hindi and provide the required environmental interpretation inaddition to support tourists with water sports.

Local benefits are limited only to tender coconut sellers and country craftoperators.

Figure 1 Star Cruise Libra staff prepares Figure 2 Tourists in glass-bottom boat

landing of several hundred tourists day visitin Kadmat(Photo: Jafer Hisham) (Photo: Andrea Deri)


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Figure 3 High value diving tourism Figure 4 Tourist fills out feedback formin Kadmat

(Photo: Andrea D eri)

New airstrips in Androth and Minicoy

Discussions are actively going on with the Administration and the Ministry of CivilAviations about the airstrips in Androth and Minicoy. The work is expected to

start soon.

Eastern side jetties in all inhabited islands

The Administration has already submitted plans for constructing Eastern side jetties in all islands which would help passenger traffic in the monsoon seasonalso. Construction work already started in Amini and Minicoy. Breakwater

projects are already completed in Androth and Kalpeni.

Future Plans

The Administration of Lakshadweep is eager to expand and improve its current tourismservices according to their development guidelines listed above. The development

includes improved transportation, improved leisure activities and services attracting highvalue visitors and expanding the services to more land and water resources includingthe following actions:

1. Acquisition of a dedicated cruise ship for tourists.2. Opening up more islands for international and domestic tourists.

3. Construction of lagoon villas in the islands of Bangaram, Thinnakara, Cheriyamand Suheli.

4. Opening up new islands for cruise tourism, namely on Thinnakara, Cheriyam andSuheli Valiyakara.

5. Opening up dive centers on Minicoy and Cheriyam.


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For budget allocation for the 2002/7 period see Table 1 Tenth Five Year Plan for the

Tourism Sector in Lakshadweep

Table 4 Tenth Five Year Plan for the Tourism Sector in Lakshadweep: Outlay at a Glance(In Lakhs 1 Lakh is 100,000 Rupees)

Source: Lakshadweep Administration http://www.lakshadweep.nic.in/depts/information/web8.htm

4. Institutional Structure

To document the institutional and management structure of each tourism establishmentProject Giant Clam collected data from tour operators. Detailed interviews were

performed with the management and ground staff to find out detailed data. The results

regarding the survey are explained below. Further data are going to be collected duringMay-June 2006 for the calculation of the tourism carrying capacity of Agatti and

Bangaram islands.

Department of Tourism (Lakshadweep Administration)

Given the increasing significance and sensitivity of tourism the Administration of

Lakshadweep reorganized and substantially strengthened the Department of Tourism in1990 with appointing Tourism Officers and other necessary ministerial staff to look afterand manage tourism related issues. This is a major development as until 1989 the


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Department of Tourism functioned only with a skeleton staff of one U.D. Clerk and an ex-

officio Director.

Under the Department of Tourism a society was also set up to act as flexible nodal

agency for tourism operation in Lakshadweep. The society referred as SPORTS by theacronym of Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism & Sports - is fully funded by theDepartment of Tourism. Tourism officers are deputed as Deputy General Managers

(DGMs) in to SPORTS.

The Bangaram Island Resort, Bangaram, the Lakshadweep Institute of Water Sports,Kadmat and the Twenty Bedded Tourist Home in Agatti are presently operated byprivate entrepreneurs on lease. The Twenty Bedded Tourist Home at Minicoy has also

started functioning. The Twelve Bedded Tourist Home at Kadmat is presently run by

SPORTS on lease. The tourist huts on the islands of Kavaratti, Kadmat, Kalpeni andMinicoy are managed by SPORTS. Apart from these huts three private cottages atMinicoy are operated by local entrepreneurs.

Administrative Structure of the Department of Tourism

Administrator

Secretary (Tourism)

Director (Tourism)

Tourism officers Dive Instructors

Instructor in water sports

Boat staff (drivers &

Lascars


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SPORTS (Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports)

SPORTS has been recognized as a nodal agency for the promotion of tourism inLakshadweep. It has got its staff trained in various disciplines of water sports. In the

absence of any restaurants in Lakshadweep, SPORTS has been running restaurants forthe tourists as well.

(1) Administrative Structure of SPORTS

Chairman Administrator

Vice chairman (Collector)

General Manager (Director, Tourism)

Deputy General Manager

Asst: general managers

Managers

Asst: manger (water

Asst: manger (House keeping)

Water sports

Assistants


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(2) Infrastructure Available

SPORTS resorts operate in Kavaratti, Minicoy, Agatti, Kalpeni and Kadmat. Allinfrastructures belong to the property of the Department of Tourism. SPORTS isonly a facilitator, manager. (SPORTS was created to overcome the

administrative hurdles as the tourism industry needs fast decisions and fastactions). Infrastructure includes:

Water Sports Institute in Kadmat

Dive school in Kavaratti.

Vehicles owned by SPORTS to transport tourists within the island

(3) Resources

Ground water is used in bathrooms, for washing and all other purposes.

Electricity is drawn from general grid and billed at commercial rate.

Ship based tourism dominates.

SPORT has its own vehicles to transport tourists within the island.

(4) Number of Tourists in the Last Ten Years

Please refer to Error! Reference source not found. for information.

(5) Subsidized Resources

Transportation including ship tickets are subsidized. SPORTS uses funds fromthe Department of Tourism. Electricity is charged at a commercial rate but eventhe commercial rate is subsidized in Lakshadweep. As a result all tourists comingunder SPORTS enjoy subsidized resources.

(6) Expansion Plan

Opening up new islands for cruise tourism (detailed data are being preparedabout cruise operators), namely Thinnakara, Cheriyam and Suheli Valiyakara.

Opening up dive centers on Minicoy and Cheriyam.

(7) Waste disposal practices

Non bio-degradable wastes are either burned or dumped. Plastic waste collectionbins provided by the Department of Environment and Forest are also used. Food

wastes are dumped into the outer sea. No sewage treatment

(8) Expenditure on infrastructure

Table 6 provides information on expenditure patterns (Tenth five year plan Tourism sector)

(9) Revenue to the Administration

Income is generated from lease rent and royalty from private operators.

(10) Local Employment

SPORTS presently employs 87 regular staff, 3 of them are from mainland. Thereare 17 additional people working on contract basis. Only a few islanders benefitdirectly from tourism. These include tender-coconut suppliers, folk dance artists

and dhobis (people who are doing the laundry and bed sheets etc).


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Agatti Island Beach Resort (AIBER)

Agatti belongs to a group of four islands which form the Agatti group. These islands areclose by and tourists are allowed to visit all the islands in the group.

AIBER is based on the Agatti island itself. The resort is situated in walking distance formthe nearby airport which is the first airport in Lakshadweep.

(1) Administrative Structure

(Agatti)

(Kochi)

(2) Infrastructure Available

Resort structures are built by the government and currently are on lease to theoperator. The resort itself has also made some structures on local peoples landand paying rent for those lands.

Resort Manager

Reception Manager

Customer

Restaurant Manager

Managing Partner

Reservation Manager Manager (GeneralAdministration)


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(3) Resources

Rainwater harvesting is practiced and the collected rainwater is used for drinking.

Ground water is used in bathrooms, for washing and all other purposes. Theamount of water is limited and a little salty in taste.

Electricity is drawn from the general grid and billed in commercial rate.Generators are also used for power generation in the resort.

Flights and ships are used for taking tourists to the island. Ships are preferredbecause cost consideration.

(4) Number of Tourists in the last 10 years

The resort started its operation in 1996. In 2005 about 1,000 tourists visited theresort. The resort provides accommodation to all tourists who make their bookingin time when resources permitting (available rooms, supplies, staff etc).

(5) Subsidized resources

Government gives no subsidies for tourism operators. Resort gives some

subsidized tariffs for tourists in off seasons (May October). The resortmanagement complains about the Administrations tourism promotion policy.

(6) Expansion plans

The management of the resort plans expansions, and discussions are on the wayto get further land for rent or purchase.


Plastics are collected and stored separately from other wastes. Occasionally the

collected plastic is sent back to the mainland, Kochi but recently it has beenstopped due to some unexpected challenges, i.e. the lack of processingcompany in Kochi, and the pressures from local residents and authorities inKochi to add external waste to their dump sites. Glass wastes are separatelycollected and stored. They dont know yet what they are going to do with glasswaste.


Resort infrastructure was made by the Administration. Resort managementinvested and made new infrastructures including health club and new air-

conditioned rooms.

Water sports forms a separate division from resort, and the resort management

does not have any investment in this activity. The water sports division itselfmanages both equipment purchase and maintenance.

Scuba diving is fully operated by Goa Diving Pvt. Ltd, a Goa based companywhich has dive operations in Goa. They are working in a profit sharing basis.

(9) Revenue to administration

An understanding between the Administration and resort management is made

for revenue sharing. The resort management pays 25% of business revenue or400,000 Rupies per year to the Administration.


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(10) Local employment

The resort provides employment opportunity for about 40-45 local people invarious capacities. The resort hires outside people only for specialized jobs suchas Chef, Reservation Manager, Resort Manager and Manager G.A.

Bangaram Island Beach Resort

This resort started its operation in 1974 and ever since caters for only internationaltourism. The Hotel Corporation of India was managing the island resort until 1982. TheCasino Group of Hotels, Cochin entered the field of Lakshadweep tourism through a

lease dated on 22nd October 1988 with SPORTS for operating the Bangaram IslandResort. Since then the Casino Group of Hotels has been operating Bangaram. They

renamed their hotel chain as CGH Earth (Casino Group Hotels).

(1) Infrastructure AvailableResorts are built by government and on lease to operators.

Water sports facilities are operated by the resorts itself.

Dive center is running by Lacadives, a Bombay-based company and working ona cost sharing basis.

(2) Resources

Ground water is used for all purposes including bathing and washing.

An exclusive powerhouse is installed for generating electricity to the islandresorts presently a solar power plant is also commissioned in Bangaram.

Flight based tourism operates.

(3) Number of Tourists in the last 10 years


(4) Subsidized resources

No data presently available

(5) Expansion plans

No plans





(8) Revenue to the Administration



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About 30 locals and 9 mainlanders are working in various disciplines.Mainlanders are employed in professional areas like front office and accounting.Indirect benefits include some local fish supplies to resorts.

Lacadives

It is a Mumbai based tourist establishment and its main activities focus on diveoperation. They run a dive shop in Kadmat and one in Bangaram. The Kadmat dive shopis leased from SPORTS and the Bangaram one from CGH.

(1) Infrastructure available

Government owned dive center (building and dive boat) own lease.

(2) Resources available

Ground water is used for all purposes including bathing and washing.

Electricity from general grid and at commercial rate.

(3) Number of Tourists in last the 10 years



Total staff number of Lacadives is 9, out of which 5 are local people, the rest arefrom mainland. For skilled jobs like Dive Instructors and Dive Masters mainland

people are hired. (1 dive instructor and 1 dive master in each islands)

Figure 5 Crystal clear lagoon in Kadmat Figure 6 Environmental interpretation captivatesvisitors of Kadmat

(Photos: Andrea Deri)


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5. Feedback from Tourists

In preparation for a large-scale tourist survey in 2006/7 (Year 2 in our project) wecollected preliminary feedback from tourists in December 2005 about their experience

and recommendations for improvement. We interviewed and surveyed about 20 touristswho visited Kadmath with Star Cruise Libra for a couple of hours, and others who stayedin Kadmat at SPORTS facilities for three days.

Based on a preliminary analysis, tourists had a great experience on Kadmat island,however, they expect

More information about the island they visit and about Lakshadweep in general

Better tour-guides who speak English and Hindi in addition to Malayalam Longer stay (not only three days)

More comfort, higher quality of service

No garbage at the resort

Methods

Interviews

Informants: Tourists visiting Kadmath for a few hours from Star Cruise Libra

Data collection: Informal discussions with tourists during tea-break or activities(e.g. glass-bottom boating)

Date of collection: 13 December 2005

Surveys

Informants: Tourists (domestic and overseas) staying in Kadmath for 2-3 days

Data collection: Tourists filled out printed survey form after their stayDate of collection: 16 December 2005

Survey questions:1. What did you like about your experience today in Kadmath?2. How would you improve the experience in Kadmath?3. What skills and knowledge areas would you recommend to include in eco-

tourism training for local tour guides in Lakshadweep?

Selected answers complied with each survey question:

1. What did you like about your experience today in Kadmath?

It was a wonderful experience being in Kadmath. We were able to see somebeautiful natures creation. The best thing was that in spite of so many tourists,the flora and fauna of the place are still maintained.

It was very fascinating to experience the variety of marine life and coral reefs inKadmath. The waters are an amazing example of the biodiversity andregeneration of marine life in and around the coral reefs.

The behaviour of the local people is friendly and congenial.


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Snorkeling was a wonderful experience as we got to see a lot of marine life which

was till now just a view on TV.

Hospitality too was very good.

I liked the scuba diving, the kayaks, the view, the resort because its not fancy,

the people on the island and the fact that there are not too many vehicles on theisland.

Discovering the sea (snorkeling), seeing a bit of island life, being away from thecrowds of the continent and meeting other people including tourists.

2. How would you improve the experience in Kadmath?

More information on different species in needed including their food, names,habitat etc.

We would have liked to be exposed to different publications on different types ofcorals, sea animals. We think this kind of information would help tourists learnand experience the island better.

The experience could be made more educative by providing facilities for slide

shows or films on marine life of Lakshadweep and training local guides indelivering information to tourists in a better fashion.

Accommodation facilities could be improved.

Hot water facility is certainly an area for opportunity. Rest was fine enough.

Need to have better amenities especially in non-AC cottages.

Some films should be shown about about marine life in Kadmath

Include more water sports in the package.

First of all: more days in the island.

They should use less electricity at night especially in the showers that are locatedon the beach so that it wont disturb the turtles and clean the island of plasticmaterial.

More days for less money- because 2 days are not enough.

There should be a person responsible to help/answer the tourist on the boat and

the island through the whole day.

3. What skills and knowledge areas would you recommend to include in eco tourismtraining for local tour guides in Lakshadweep?

They should be able to give information on species found in the lagoons and

deep sea in English and Hindi.

Skills in communication.

Knowledge of English, Hindi names of marine life and corals

The role and function of marine life and corals in maintaining the balance of the

ecology.

Tourists could be made aware of their contribution to protecting the biodiversity.

Some knowledge sharing discussions on marine life of Lakshadweep.

Maybe some slide shows on the variety of fishes and birds found here.

Knowledge of Hindi and English.

Good knowledge about the area and marine life.

Information on the coral reefs and their protection.


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Information on the history of island formation,

The effects of pollution on the island, Recycling

How to keep the ecology of the island.

Have a very good knowledge of the islands nature,

Be punctual.

Be able to give some advice about nature care (little examples like information on

not touching the corals with hands or kayaks and garbage disposal)

Give information on animals, flora, the sea, changes that are likely to occur onthe island in the coming years (sea level, endangered animals, local cuisine,higher temperatures etc.)

Resources

Lakshadweep Tourism Departmenthttp://lakshadweeptourism.nic.in/

Lakshadweep Basic Statisticshttp://lakshadweep.nic.in/basic.htm

Lakshadweep Administration (Official Website)http://lakshadweep.nic.in/Tourism.PDF

Lakshadweep Administration: Department of Information, Publicity and Tourismhttp://lakshadweeptourism.nic.in/

SPORTS - Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism & Sportshttp://www.lakshadweeptourism.com/

Star Cruise Libra Destination: Kadmat Islandhttp://www.starcruises.com/Destinations/India/kadmat.html

Lakshadweep The Coral Paradise Package Tourshttp://www.keralagreenery.org/isles.html

Lacadives - Diving tourism in Kadmat and Bangaramhttp://www.lacadives.com/gallery.html

Documents

Lakshadweep Tourism 2006