The Soldiers of Tourism

A innovate step to promote tourism in God’s own country has been undertaken by a group of Kerala ex-servicemen by establishing homestays in different parts of the State.

The tourism industry in Kerala has been witnessing a growth than never before. According to the statistics of World Travels and Tourism Council (WTTC), Kerala achieved a growth of 10.66 % in the field of tourism.
According to a survey conducted in 2005, Kerala has only 8,000 hotel rooms and the demand for the coming year would be 13,000 hotel rooms. To make up this shortage, the government has decided to promote home stays in the state. But the number of home stays being added to the fold is very less and is insufficient to hold the tourists reaching the state.

Kerala ranks third in the population of ex-servicemen among all states in India and they are not utilised for any particular purpose. With the qualities they own like discipline, courage, courteousness, honesty, organizing ability, security consciousness and fluency in Indian languages and English, they are well equipped for the tourism industry in Kerala. Understanding the vast potential that exists in the tourism industry, Ex-Servicemen Tourist Development Organisation (EXTO) was registered to organize the vast resources of ex-servicemen to get them gainfully engaged in tourism related activities for mutual benefit. Their activities include accommodation of tourist guests in their own houses or in appropriated hotels at the choice of the tourists, food and transport to various tourist destinations and other requirements that are needed.
This project is approved as a self-employment scheme for ex-servicemen by the Director General Resettlement, Ministry of Defence, Government of India and also by the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala as an additional measure to promote tourism. Keeping the motto of India’s Defence Service ‘safety, honour and welfare’ the ex-service men’s families are expected to operate under directions and guidance of EXTO to the tourists guests assigned to them.

The home stays are presently set in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kochi, Kozhikode, Idukki and Wayanad. Presently they have a chain of 192 rooms belonging to 102 ex-servicemen. They are situated in quiet and safe surroundings in hygienic environment with sanitary conveniences and also suitable for medical tourists during pre and post hospitalisation.

EXTO also offers various arrangements like trekking, visiting plantations, local temples and churches, traditional music and art and backwater cruises. In addition health tourism is included by organising traditional Ayurvedic treatments and massages as well as dental care in nodal centres in all districts.

As part of the efforts to educate the ex-servicemen about the possibilities and other aspects related to the sector a seminar ‘Roll of Ex-servicemen in Development of Tourism through Homestays’ was organised at Kochi recently. Maj. Gen Harwant Krishan, Director General Re-settlement, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi inaugurated the seminar which was presided over by Lt. Gen (Retd) S K Pillai, PVSM, Patron-in-Chief, EXTO. Commodore Ranjan Seth, VSM, Principal Director (Employment), Brigadier K John Kuruvilla, Col KBR Pillai, General Secretary EXTO, Group Capt Rajesh Sobti, Director Training, Srivastava Director, Publicity, Capt. K K Govind Nair, Director, Department of Sainik Welfare, Kanakamma, Joint Director, Department of Tourism and more than 100 homestay operators took part in the seminar. ••