Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.37741/t.69.3.3
Adapting to Political Activism in the Destination: General Strike (Hartal) and Tourism in Kerala
Toney K. Thomas
orcid.org/0000-0001-8759-0207
; School of Tourism Studies, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Diya Jose
; School of Tourism Studies, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Abstract
The way of protest through hartal (general strike) has sparked heated debates about its impact on the tourism industry in Kerala. This paper is aimed in the viewpoint that political activism has adverse consequences on tourism in the state of Kerala which is seamlessly propagated through the Media. Through a thematic analysis of online texts published on trip advisor, this paper explores tourists' perceptions and opinions of the implication of hartal on tourism in Kerala. Overall, our analysis reveals that hartal would not discourage tourists to visit Kerala, although many regarded that certain level of challenges at the destination will enhance the visitor experience. Importantly, our study also contends that the narratives about the 'hartal' produced and propagated online were often representative of political structures of power, which linked tourism to hartal irrespective of the real impact on tourism.
Keywords
politics; governance; hartal; strike; tourism; Kerala
Hrčak ID:
261830
URI
Publication date:
3.9.2021.
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