India offers a full plate of tourism options, owing to its vast geography, long history and diverse cultures.

For starters and globetrotters alike, a visit to the Kerala state of southwestern India would be worth a try, Indian Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami says.

“Choosing one place over another is difficult and subjective, but I would recommend a holiday in Kerala for a perfect balance of culture, healing and scenery,” Doraiswami told The Korea Herald in an email interview.

“An itinerary can include a cruise along the backwaters in a private boat, pampered with fresh seafood and hospitable care. You can heal your mind and body with a traditional massage and spa.”

Endowed with serene shorelines, tranquil backwaters and tropical rainforests, Kerala is fast becoming an international tourist hotspot. It is home to the Ayurveda ― an alternative and traditional Hindu medicine that uses natural healing methods handed down over 5,000 years.

“And the gentle and warm Kerala people know how to make visitors feel special,” according to the ambassador.

The region has maintained a strong tradition of multiculturalism for millennia, being the hub of east- and westbound exchange in commerce, religion and science. Kerala attracted seafaring merchants from ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, China and West Asia, who came in search of spices.

Doraiswami’s most memorable trip to the southernmost region happened 23 years ago with his colleagues.

“We were all young and fresh university graduates on our first job. We felt both empowered by the small cash in our pockets and being free adults on a holiday,” Doraiswami said.

“On the sunset beaches lined with palm trees, we enjoyed our cold beer and fresh grilled seafood laced with coriander and coconut. We also watched traditional dances performed on the site of ancient temples.”

Doraiswami has been back to Kerala several times on work, he added, while noting that “the magic of that particular holiday remains special” in his memory.

Kerala has high rates of human development in India, with literacy, life expectancy and gender ratio scores topping the national charts. It is one of the least corrupt states in the country with a vibrant media scene. Kerala’s airports are linked with those of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore or Chennai.

Doraiswami, 45, who arrived in Korea in April, said being an ambassador here made his “dream come true.” He started his career as a journalist before joining the Foreign Service in 1992.

“Apart from the enormous and unfulfilled economic agenda that needs to be realized between our countries, there is a great deal of cultural exchange to be promoted,” he emphasized. “India has one of the world’s most diverse cultures in every sense, due to its sundry geography, climate, society and religion.”

India offers Korean visitors a distinct and exotic experience “within the overall comfort zone that our shared Asian cultural traditions provide us,” Doraiswami said.

The ambassador plans to increase two-way flights, youth exchange and media partnerships between the two countries. He also aims to invite Indian movie directors to shoot Bollywood films at popular Korean hangouts, which would generate a sizeable tourism interest from India.

So far, Doraiswami has visited Daejon, Busan and Ulsan all on “incredibly busy” business trips, but said he would like to tour temples, mountains and islands in Korea.

“Indian travelers will enjoy the mix of cutting-edge modernity and well-preserved heritage that Korea offers,” he pointed out, adding that his compatriots can start from Seoul and Busan, and later explore Korea’s rural areas. 

By Joel Lee

(joel@heraldcorp.com)