Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Rs.38 crore for tourism projects

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Centre has sanctioned Rs.38 crore for various micro-level tourism projects.

Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told a press conference here on Saturday that more projects were under the consideration of the Central Government. Mr. Balakrishnan said tourism in Kerala was on the growth path and there was no off-season in the State. All the hotels of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) were full during the year-end. The State lacked adequate number of rooms to meet the increasing demand from tourists and the Government would encourage those who construct hotels targeted at tourists.

The development of Bekal into a tourist destination had reached a critical stage with all the major players beginning work on their hotel projects. Once the Kannur airport became a reality, Bekal would become one of the most important tourist destinations in Kerala, he added.

The Minister said he had had discussions with West Bengal Tourism Minister Manav Mukherjee and it was decided to set up an information centre of the West Bengal Tourism Department in Thiruvananthapuram and that of Kerala Tourism in Kolkata.

A major handicap for promoting travel between Bengal and Kerala was the absence of direct flights between the two States. It was decided by both the Governments to exert pressure on the Centre to start direct flights between Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram.

Mr. Balakrishnan said he would soon convene a meeting of major tour operators and air travel agents in Delhi to work out the modalities to facilitate greater movement of tourists from the north to Kerala. He had had preliminary discussions with some persons in the field and found their response quite positive, the Minister said.

Mr. Balakrishnan said the Left Democratic Front (LDF) had arrived at a consensus on exempting vehicles carrying tourists from hartals. He would hold discussions with other political parties and the UDF leadership to work out a consensus on the subject.

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