Kerala inching towards sex tourism?

According to Shyla, the Government tourist policy is beset with danger to women. "The Tourism Department asks women to be participants in the promotion of tourism. They organise courses to equip them to play hosts. Even the offer of home-stay has dangerous implications for women. Especially now when global tourism focus is shifting from nature to pleasures. Tourist centres like Varkala and Kovalam are examples of ongoing immoral activities, including child sexual abuse. Child sex is on the increase. This tourist trend will subvert our culture and economy, ushering in HIV and denying youth of jobs abroad. Legitimisation of prostitution, demanded by certain NGOs who get foreign aid for promotion of sex trade, will become a conduit for promotion of sex tourism", Shyla warned.

Says Ajitha, of Anweshi, who was instrumental in exposing the sex trade indulged in by beauty parlours: "Both the Central and State Governments are promoting sex tourism. This is part of the global move to promote the sex industry by decriminalising prostitution. This is part of a global plot. Massage parlours are vending sex camouflaged as Ayurvedic centres. This will convert Kerala into Thailand".

The Sthree Vedi is also frowning on the ad. "This is a prelude to promote sex tourism. Why should the ad show a woman massaging a woman and not a man massaging a man? Even Tourism Department’s call to women to be participants in tourism promotion spells danger. And if prostitution gets social sanction as is being demanded, Kerala will go the Thailand way", warned Eliamma Vijayan of Sthree Vedi.

But The Tourism Department denies the charges: "We stand by the advertisement. It is a tastefully produced advertisement showing same sex massage. There is no sexual innuendo in it", asserted Dr Venu, Director, Tourism in Kerala. "It is not commercialising women", he stressed.

Venu says that their stress is on the rejuvenative aspect of Ayurveda. "The Government has approved 35 Ayurvedic resorts in the State. There are strict guidelines like trained masseurs, separate treatment for both men and women and quality equipment. This is checked by a committee comprising experts, including the physician of Kottackal Arya Vaidyasala, and the Director of Indian System of medicines who visit such centres and confer certificates."

According to him the Government is in the process of introducing a Bill in the Assembly to make this a mandatory procedure for Ayurvedic centres.

He agrees that unscrupulous operators do exist in the Ayurvedic tourism sector. "It is for the local bodies to eliminate such operators. As the Local Administration did in Kovalam. They removed more than 50 illegal massage parlours on the beach in just one day. There can be no commercial activity without their permission. The Department of Tourism is just a promotional body. It is ridiculous to say that we are promoting sex tourism", he argued.

According to him, Kerala has a definite brand image globally. It is viewed as a pricey market, with quality products, and visited by good clientele. "Even an international magazine like the Time had acclaimed Ayurveda’s rejuvenative therapy", he pointed out. Other reputed international magazines like the National Geographic Traveller had also cited Kerala as a must-see destination. Ayurveda forms the A of the ABC of Kerala tourism. Any attempt to ink it blue should be avoided.