{"id":274,"date":"2020-06-24T05:51:54","date_gmt":"2020-06-24T05:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/indepthcommunication.com\/?p=274"},"modified":"2020-06-24T05:54:02","modified_gmt":"2020-06-24T05:54:02","slug":"role-of-media-in-promoting-ecotourism-an-exploratory-study-on-tourism-in-kerala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indepthcommunication.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/24\/role-of-media-in-promoting-ecotourism-an-exploratory-study-on-tourism-in-kerala\/","title":{"rendered":"Role of Media in Promoting Ecotourism: An Exploratory Study on Tourism in Kerala"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The chapter is part of Media Management in Communicating Tourism: Edited Essays<\/strong><\/em> (ISBN: 9781648054341).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keerthana.Ka<\/sup>, Sruthy.S.Vijayana<\/sup> and Dr. Juby Thomasb<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eco-tourism is a way of preserving and\npromoting the environment. Kerala is a state known for its richness in greenery\nand natural beauty, also a good destination for Eco-tourism. Eco-tourism is\nalso known as green tourism is a form of tourism involved in the protection of\nthe natural environment, preservation of cultural heritage and the promotion of\ngood environmental practices. It takes into account regarding the needs of the\nenvironment, the local residents, business and visitors, where a lot of tourism\ncompanies provide environmental friendly packages and services that not give\nthe visitor a good experience which in turn helps in the understanding of the\nvarious environmental aspects of that particular destination and mainly helping\nin the appreciation and growth of the environment and natural cultural\nheritage. Thus, in a way it can be denoted that ecotourism  can have an\nimpact on the visitor who is made aware of the various environmental aspects,\nthat paves way for individuals to reconnect with nature, to make any\nimprovements for the environment if required, to support the individuals working\nin the field, and mostly to protect and help in the positive growth of the\nenvironment. Ecotourism had a significant effect on the economy because it\ncreated a lot of employment opportunities in Kerala\u2019s service sector and it\nalso helps in generating foreign revenue. Undoubtedly, media have a vital role\nto play to promote this noble initiative since it has a better way to conserve\nour biodiversity. Through a quantitative approach, the present study focuses to\nidentify the public perception of the role media played and the grey areas that\nneed to be addressed. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Words:<\/strong>\n<\/em><\/strong>Ecotourism,\nEnvironment, Role of Media, Sustainable Development, Tourism in Kerala<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

a \u2013 MA Student, Kristu Jayanti College, Bangalore, India
b \u2013 Assistant Professor, Kristu Jayanti College, Bangalore, India<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\nIntroduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tourism plays a vital role in a country\u2019s economy, as it provides many opportunities for business and employment. In the course of attracting tourists, a state\u2019s natural vegetation and infrastructure are improved and maintained. Ecotourism is a responsible and quality form of tourism that involves visiting natural areas, understanding the needs of the residents in that area, and basically improving the quality of life. The role of Media in tourism contributes to informing the tourists across the globe about the various tourism aspects of a state or a country. The aim of this paper is to discuss the role of media in promoting ecotourism with regard to Kerala tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ecotourism, described as responsible travel to natural areas that protect the environment, sustain the wellbeing of local people, and include understanding and education, enabling travel with more than personal satisfaction in mind, helping the world and people to lead a more fulfilling life. Apart from visual appeal, the historical and environmental significance of unfamiliar lands and buildings is learned. Most of all through Eco touristic travels, an opportunity to interact with the locals, gives an insight of their requirements, social issues that are faced by them, and their desires, which in turn increases maximum local participation, promotion of local culture, and economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kerala\nwhich is known for its richness in naturally available sources, consists many eco\ntourist places to visit, where the chance to not just indulge in nature, but\nthe inhabitants, the local culture, food and much more. Places such as Kumbalangi, Gavi, Iduki, Thenmala,\nKollam, Alappuzha, Kumarakam, Wayanad, Thommankuthu<\/em> are known for specific natural attributes such as\nexotic animals like the Lion tailed Macaque, Fishing Hamlet, tribes, music,\ndance and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nvarious modes of Media, such as print, electronic and online media, mostly\nenhances ecotourism in a positive way, where, for instance, an article in a\nnewspaper, magazine or other periodicals, not only introduces the reader to\ndiscovering environmentally friendly places, but also speaks about the kind of\nclimate, inhabitants, surroundings, food, clothing, culture and other aspects\nof nature and the livelihood of the locals that are practiced there. It curbs\ninterest or curiosity in the mindset of the interested traveller, through the\nwritings of the articles in newspapers, magazines, other journals, through\nvisual representation through photographs, television segments, and social\nmedia platforms which is currently the most popular and also one of the easiest\nways where with a few clicks, information of a place, its social, cultural,\npolitical, natural factors, travel, food and other accommodations are provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also,\nin the current era, a lot of travel and tour agencies make use of media to\nmarket their company and the tour friendly packages offered by them, where\ntelevision and online advertisements are the most common forms of marketing\noften used by travel agencies. Media therefore plays an important and\nresponsible role in creating understanding of eco-recipients and their value\nfor human well-being, and their role in promoting eco-tourism as an industry is\nenormous at the global level to learn about each other\u2019s ethnic, social and\npolitical practices and differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significance of\nthe Study<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nfact that today\u2019s world is progressing in a vigorous manner is turning a blind\neye to the natural elements around us. A lot can be learned from indulging in\nthe natural environment by interacting with the local people, knowing their\ntraditions and their plights, in a way certain knowledge is learned and\nexchanged, helping the people and the place for requirements and such. This\nstudy aims to specify the role of media in ecotourism, how the various means of\nmedia helps to convey the importance of each place for its beauty, culture, and\nother such aspects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eco\ntourism is an important aspect of tourism, where people in the modern world\nengrossed in technology, need to venture into the places that hold best for\necotourism, so as to study the importance of nature, by learning ways through\nwhich the natural environment can be restored or improved in places that have\nlost its natural environment or those on the verge of diminishing. And the\nmedia, a powerful tool that reaches the masses around globe, has enhanced the\nenhanced the spread of ecotourism through print and digital forms, where not\njust common people use it to know about eco-tourism destinations, but a lot of\ntravel agencies and organizations use the media to convey details of the same\nand most of all the inhabitants of the remotest destinations are able to use\nthe media for their needs as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Review of Literature<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An article on Kerala\nmodel of development by Oommen M. A.  has\npointed out the danger of overlooking the environmental sustainability in development\ninitiatives in the context of Kerala state in India. The author refers,\nfrom a broader perspective, to the rising environmental problems in Kerala.\nThis article explains that expanding choices is seen as a socially responsible\nact and it is done without endangering future generation. Also, essential;\nchoices valued by people are created by expanding human capabilities and\nfreedom and is crucial for the development process because human beings are not\nconsidered as mere beneficiaries. Rural Tourism Employment Generation: A Local\nCommunity Field Study in Kumbalangi, by Manoj P. K, conducts an empirical study\nof the local community’s response to rural tourism employment prospects.\nThe high prospects of employment generation and economic development and the\nneed for enhancing the tourism infrastructure, primarily through Governmental\ninitiatives, is highlighted in this paper. This paper explains that some\ncountries have exploited their tourism potential for economic development. In\nthis context prospects of rural tourism in Kerala with a focus on employment\ngiven to the local people of Kumbalangi. \u201cRole of Social Media in\nEcotourism Development\u201d by Indu et al, (2018) is a sincere effort to discuss\nthe relationship between social media and ecotourism. It was found that digital media helps in the promotion\nof ecotourism products and services. In order to gain additional knowledge,\ntourists make use of online media, especially to review sites and blogs. This\narticle showcases that the key attributes of ecotourism are well presented on\nprovider\u2019s commercial website. Although online promotion of ecotourism has\npositively affected the industry there are rooms for possibilities to promote\nit online in an efficient and effective way <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Objectives of\nthe Study <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n