Kerala in Vogue this summer.

Web posted at: 6/18/2009 6:59:49
Source ::: THE PENINSULA/ By John Mary

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s humid summer months are best savoured under a shade in the open or at hill stations. But the fashion crew of the style magazine, Vogue UK, saw the season unfolding at its kaleidoscopic best this summer.

Already proclaimed one of the “ten paradises of the world” and “50 places of a lifetime” by the National Geographic Traveler magazine, Kerala is all over on 20 pages in the June issue of Vogue UK.

Vogue’s team took the spice route to Kerala for the ‘Indian Summer’ shoot, setting the backwaters and paddy fields as perfect locations for the season’s white cotton designs.

Vignettes of the 25-year-old Polish-born Canadian-Ukrainian model, Daria Werbowy, wearing white cotton, have been captured by French master photographer Patrick Demarchelier against the quintessential Kerala backdrops.

The shoot plays up to exotic elements of warm, spice-infused colours in a laidback style. Daria poses in locales including the whimsical fishing nets on a driftwood jetty, a traditional houseboat voyage and with Malayalee women in colourful saris in a paddy field.

Local school children from St Michael’s Higher Secondary School at Vaikom, some 50 from Kochi, also appear in a double spread, with their own fashion statement and take on effortless dressing.

Kerala Tourism Secretary Venu V said Demarchelier had truly done justice to the beauty and majesty of the land. “It’s the same sheen of importance that a person taking a vacation photo feels chronicling themselves in a foreign place or chronicling themselves next to a celebrity”.

Vogue is reckoned the world’s most important and influential style magazine, published in 21 countries. Vogue UK is published 10 times a year and has a readership of 1 million.

Demarchelier is most known for his photo shoot of superstar Janet Jackson which appeared on the cover of Rolling Stones magazine and The Janet album. He is also referenced in the film, The Devil Wears Prada, and made a cameo in the film version of Sex and the City.

The UK was Kerala’s largest source market with 141,147 tourist arrivals from the country in 2008-a 23.5 percent market share of total international arrivals to Kerala. A total 598,929 foreign tourists visited Kerala in 2008.

Kerala Tourism has announced Visit Kerala Year 2009 to forestall any fall in visitors owing to the financial downturn. Growing at a rate of 13.31 percent, the tourism industry is a major contributor to the State’s economy.

Kerala Tourism Director M Sivasankar said the last five years growth averaged at 20 percent.

Kerala Principal Industry Secretary and Commissioner Amitabh Kant, who recently released his book, ‘Branding India-An Incredible Journey’, reviewing the strategic growth of tourism in the country, said the success of Kerala rested on the State’s proactive role as a facilitator in the past two decades and the growth of home-grown entrepreneurs.

Kerala was developed into a super brand, making it stand out among 200-odd international destinations, with its backwaters and traditional ayurveda, conforming to the concept of experiential tourism, based on local themes and experiences, said Kant.

But he admitted that the biggest disincentive to future growth was the problem of untreated solid waste and sewage that simply could not coexist with the hoary heritage of the State. But 2008 turned out to be an impressive one for Kerala Tourism. The foreign exchange earnings from tourism in 2008 grew by 16.11 percent, fetching earnings to the tune of Rs3,066 crore. And the net revenue, comprising both direct and indirect showed an increase of 14.84 percent, which translates to Rs13,130 crore.