John Packer, a tourist, drinks a beer in Kovalam, Kerala (Agence France Presse photo)
British tourist John Packer flew out to the tropical beaches of Kerala for a leisurely six-month break, but news of an imminent alcohol ban across the state has made him rethink his destination.
"It won't cut it for me," said the 41-year-old tiler, drinking a beer at one of the laid-back seafront restaurants in the resort town of Kovalam.
"When I come away I want a nice few beers, to enjoy myself -- I've worked hard for it," he said.
With its sweeping coastline, riverboats and emerald tea plantations, Kerala has become a leading tourist draw in India, promoting itself as 'God's Own Country'.
But behind the paradisiacal slogan, the state has a damaging drinking problem among its 34 million population, leading the government to opt abruptly for almost complete prohibition -- alarming the tourism industry.
As of Friday, more than 700 Kerala bars could lose their licences. Only five-star hotels will be allowed to keep serving booze and even they will have go dry on Sundays. Bar owners are hoping for an 11th-hour change to the policy and have taken the matter to court, fearing tourists will start opting for other regional destinations -- perhaps the beaches of nearby Goa or Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court will hear the case tomorrow.
The government has said state-run liquor stores, where men queue up for their daily fix, will be phased out at a rate of ten percent a year for the next decade, leaving a big hole in the state coffers after alcohol taxes and fees generated more than $1 billion, or 6,084 crores, in the 2012-13 financial year.
"Kerala should get ready to imbibe the essence of (a) total liquor ban," said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy last month as he announced the plan.
Along with holidaymakers' spending, the state has been raking in earnings from conferences and other business events at hotels.
"There's always a cocktail and dinner that goes along with it. So I think it would be particularly unattractive if we were to say: 'Do come, but sorry, we won't be able to serve you any alcohol'," said Suman Billa, a top civil servant in the tourism ministry.
His fears were backed up by a recent survey from travel portal HolidayIQ.com, based on 5,000 Indian respondents, of whom 58 percent said the booze ban would affect their travel plans.
There is little denial of an alcohol problem in Kerala, which has the highest consumption levels in India. The Alcohol and Drug Information Centre, an NGO to prevent substance abuse, links 69 percent of crimes, 40 percent of road accidents and one in four hospitalisations to alcohol.
"The government went into a hasty decision and they don't know what to do next," he said.
As for Packer, he has decided to fly out of Kerala and instead spend his beer money in Cuba.