Staff crunch poses a hurdle for Kerala tourism rebound
A key reason is the youth leaving the state for education and jobs overseas
After two Covid19-struck years, the good news for Kerala tourism is a vigorous bounce back in visitors and revenues, but it comes with a hurdle: a staff shortage that is emerging as a new impediment.
The brightest indicator for Kerala’s tourism sector is the total revenue generated by tourism — direct and indirect — going up from Rs113 billion in 2020 to Rs123 billion in 2021. Industry observers expect the figures for 2022 to be significantly better, even though it is not expected to reach the pre-Covid level of Rs450 billion.
Where the industry lags is in getting foreign tourists back. Foreign exchange earnings from tourism fell from Rs103 billion in 2019 to Rs28 billion in 2020 and further to Rs5 billion in 2021.
And the other key challenge is in getting people to work in the hospitality sector, as Kerala’s youth are migrating abroad in large numbers for education and jobs.
“Post pandemic, there has been a great bounce back in tourism. Domestic travel has picked up significantly and social gatherings, particularly weddings, have also added to the sector’s upswing.
“People have realised that relationship building and deal-making happens much better in personal meetings, which in turn is bringing more customers”, Shruti Shibulal, CEO of the Tamara Leisure Experiences, which has six properties in India and four in Germany, told Gulf News.
Rahul Raj, general manager of the Hyatt Regency in the state capital said the pent-up demand during the pandemic was now revealing itself in growing tourist numbers as things go back to normal.
“The leisure market is picking up and so is the MICE [meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions] market. However, corporate travel is yet to show strong growth and the international arrivals are also below pre-pandemic levels. High airfares may be one reason for this” Rahul Raj said.
Worldwide phenomenon
According to Babu Alex, managing director of Travel Trails India, a Thiruvananthapuram-based tour operator, Kerala tourism will witness a return to its good times by October 2023.
Just as the sector is witnessing robust growth, Kerala’s tourism sector is also facing a severe staff crunch, owing to many deserting the field during the pandemic and large numbers of youth leaving the state for education and careers abroad.
“The staff crunch is actually a worldwide phenomenon,” says Hyatt’s Rahul Raj. In Kerala, the problem of staffing is more acute owing to migration of youth abroad.