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EQUATIONS Third World Resurgence, Issue 207-208:

When the STA policy was proposed in 1992, some of the identified locations were Bekal (Kerala), Sindhudurg (Maharashtra), Diu, Kancheepuram and Mahabalipuram (both Tamil Nadu). The proposal never took off, probably due to a lack of the necessary economic impetus from the central and state governments. But in some identified areas like Bekal and Sindhudurg where the government went all out to implement the policy, communities resisted vociferously. Despite the fact that the government's STA policy did not have the intended impact, tourism enclaves nonetheless began developing spontaneously and organically in places like Goa and Kovalam in Kerala. In these cases, enclavisation was a result of the socio-cultural identity that was given to these places as free-for-all tourist destinations, economic incentives that were given to boost tourism and especially private investment and a rising domestic and international tourist segment. It is important to learn from the experiences of local communities in these locations.

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