Of late, the two CPM governments of West Bengal and Kerala usually appear to be two separate political entities — especially when it comes to economics — but on one count, they have come together. To tap their common “Communist cultural tradition” for a healthy market goal: promoting tourism.This unique joint venture attempts to use the hammer and sickle to link Santiniketan and maacher jhol to backwaters and ayurveda: joint packages for tourists, joint advertisement campaigns, direct flight services between the two states, a West Bengal tourism office in Thiruvananthapuram and Kerala’s in Kolkata, joint cultural shows.Last week in Kolkata, tourism ministers of West Bengal and Kerala Manab Mukherjee and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan discussed how to take this idea forward. Balakrishnan, who is also a CPM central committee member, told The Indian Express: “Both the red citadels, Kerala and West Bengal are unique in many ways. They have a rich cultural past, glorious heritage and traditions and a unique political history. A joint marketing strategy would be helpful in promoting tourism in both the states.”According to Tourism Department sources, the two states also plan to package their “unique political positioning’’ in the international market, especially in countries with “socialist leanings” like Venezuela and Cuba. The states have plans to operate chartered flights, catering to both international and domestic tourists.The two states together account for 18% of the foreign tourist arrival and 6% of total domestic tourists. And both states together count 15,768 hotel rooms in various categories. “It’s not just communism; there are many things in common between the two states: food habits, lifestyle, cultural ethos. Taking all these factors into consideration, we feel that a joint campaign by these two states will be a great advantage to tourism promotion, especially in the domestic tourism front,’’ said the Tourism official who is overseeing the joint venture.
