Tourism News

The recently concluded ?Ente Nadu? held in Kochi was an earnest effort by Kerala Tourism to join hands with the sizeable number of non-resident Keralites for giving a new direction and added growth to the tourism sector. The two-day meet held recently in Kochi had about 200 odd projects that came up for consideration, of which 60 were identified worth to pursuing, paving way for a total investment to the tune of Rs.10000 million in the tourism sector of Kerala.

The Minister for Tourism, Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in his inaugural address urged the non-resident Keralites to take an active role in the growth and development of tourism in Kerala. To enhance the speed of tourism projects in the private sector, the government would set up an investment cell and a single-window-clearance facility, which would soon come up under the supervision of the Director of Kerala Tourism, the minister said. Further, to bail out the tourism industry from the current crisis triggered by the recent global financial setback, Kerala Tourism has given shape to ?Visit Kerala 2009?- an exclusive publicity program. According to Dr. Venu, V., Secretary Kerala Tourism, as part of the program, campaigns will be launched in the international level and also in other states of India, where it would be done in the local language itself, the minister added.

According to Mr. T. K. Manzoor, Managing Director, Tourist Resorts (Kerala) Limited, the ongoing initiatives of Kerala Tourism with the non-resident Keralites could reach new heights in co-operation, if they come forward to form companies to promote various tourism related projects. Such an initiative would invite the whole-hearted support of the government. They can also play an important role in tourism infrastructure development in Kerala. And to augment the tourism infrastructure development in Kerala, the government owned Tourist Resorts (Kerala) Limited would be transformed into a company, which will be known as Tourism Infrastructure Development Corporation.