Tourism is a growth industry worldwide. Especially so in Kerala, and more particularly in the backwaters of Alleppey (Alappuzha), a designated must see site among the top 50 sites worldwide as per the National Geographic magazine. The boom in tourism to Kerala started after conflicts started in Kashmir and in Sri Lanka. The proximity to Sri Lanka and similarity to the coastal provinces there was the first factor that helped to trigger tourism to the coastal districts of Kerala. It was also helped by the over crowding of beaches in Goa. The initial impact was a Kovalam, a beach similar to the beaches in Goa. After people discovered Kerala, they also saw the diversity of the land and also took to the hills and the backwaters of Kerala.