Title : LIMA RESIDENCY VARKALA
Author (s) : Princy Varghese
Nijil Sreenivasan
Saalini
Nisha Elizabeth Thomas
Anitha.V.S
Jesna Varghese
Varkala is one of the most wonderful sea side tourist destinations in Kerala, which is located 54kms north of Thiruvananthapuram. What makes Varkala truly special as a holiday destination is that, it offers all the pleasures of the more famous Kovalam, minus the chaos and crowds of tourists. As if that were not enough, Varkala is garnished by serene backwaters and mineral springs, which are known to have medicinal and curative properties. It is also known for the Janarthana Temple with a 2000 Year Old Shrine of Lord Vishnu and the Sivagiri Mutt, which is the final resting place of Sree Narayana Guru, the social reformer of Kerala. Papanasam, a part of the Varkala Beach, is a perfect place to watch the sunset or relax gazing at the horizon. Papnasam beach is an important Hindu center of pilgrimage. Hundreds of Hindu devotees perform ‘Vavubali’, a ritual performed for the ancestors soul to rest in peace, on the new moon day of the Malayalam month ‘Karkidam’. There is a belief that a dip in the holy waters of the beach will purify our body and soul, washing out all our sins. Near to Varkala is the site of the Dutch East India Company’s main garrison, Anjuthengu Fort.
Varkala Beach is an ideal place for a less expensive holiday. It is also renowned for its scenic landscape. The contrast between the cliffs, sand and sea makes Varkala Beach a bewitching sight. As the number of tourists coming to the place increased, the demand for accommodation and food facilities also increased. The natives considered it as a good opportunity and started lending rooms of their house for rent. When they found it profitable, some of them started small resorts. One such resort is Lima Residency, which stand unique among other resorts, because of its hospitality as well as efficient marketing strategy.
Lima Residency, is a resort situated down a lane near the Helipad, Varkala, owned and managed by Mrs.Paritha Ajith. Before starting the venture she had been lending rooms in her apartment to the tourists and she found it very profitable. This inspired her to start the Lima Residency which is a seaside tourist resort. It was commenced in the year 2001, with an initial investment of Rs.20 lakhs. Out of this, Rs.6 lakhs was taken as loan from the Indian Overseas Bank at 12 % interest, which has yet to be repaid in full. Lima Residency is situated 160 meters away from the Varkala Beach. Even though it lacks ocean view, it is well known for its cleanliness, quietness and hospitality. It has eight rooms and can accommodate sixteen people. Apart from providing accommodation facilities, Lima Residency also provides yoga classes and ayurvedic treatment. This also helps them in attracting the tourists to the place. There are seven staffs which include a cook, launderer, room boy, guide, watchman and two taxi drivers. When a foreign tourist arrive the resort, they are required to inform the police station regarding their identity and the passport details. 80% of the tourists constitute foreigners and the remaining 20% are mostly North Indians. The resort is earning an annual profit of Rs.150000/-
The rooms are available in A/c and Non A/c, with television facility, the rent of which is ranging from Rs.700/- to Rs.1500/- during peak season (October to March) and Rs.400\- onwards during off season. During the peak season the occupancy rate is 100%. Since there is heavy rush, they even provide additional beds as well as they rent a portion of their house. The tourists stay for a period of one week to one month. During the off season, they hardly rent one or two rooms. Even though the resort is not providing any liquor or cigarettes, tourists are allowed to use it, only if they keep their own limit. During the night, they are not allowed to raise their voice very high. They are expected to use the properties of the resort with proper care.
The resort is providing yoga and ayurvedic treatment on a contract basis which is running with the help of instructors. Two hour morning and evening yoga sessions are taken for a charge of Rs.100/head. They are also providing ayurvedic treatment like massaging by therapists. Other services provided by them include laundry, ticket booking, taxi service on demand for a discount, bikes and cycles on rent, morning coffee/tea at free of cost and traditional Kerala food as per order.
In order to attract the tourists, the resort had put up banners and sign boards in Varkala at various locations. The tourist guides as well as the travel agencies in the area are given commission for bringing tourists to the resort. The resort has even started a shop in the cliff, in order to gain more customers, through reference. The shop is earning a daily profit of Rs.1000/- on an average during the peak season. The shop sells items like mineral water, cigarettes, juices and cool drinks. The tourists who had stayed in the resort refer the place to their relatives, friends and colleagues.
The resort is having an efficient waste management system. All the wastes except plastic are burned by the resort. Plastics are collected by the Municipality for disposal. Thus the resort ensures proper disposal of the wastes. The resort has even provided employment opportunities to the local community in Varkala, to some extend, and thereby helped in improving the standard of living of the nearby people.
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