The Hindu : Kerala News : One-centre solution for all your tourism worries Tourism trail

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Saturday, Sep 29, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

One-centre solution for all your tourism worries Tourism trail

The KTDC’s Central Reservation Centre can come up within minutes with a package to suit the needs of a specific tourist group.

— Photo: C. Ratheesh kumar

Peek ahead: The facility at the Central Reservation Centre of KTDC in the capital to provide a glimpse of the destinations.

The Central Reservation Centre of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) has, over the years, developed from a mere booking centre to a full-fledged tourism service provider for guests arriving in God’s Own Country.

Housed in the ground floor of the corporate office of the KTDC at Mascot Square, central reservation centre is now equipped to take care of all needs of the foreign and domestic tourists alike.

Itinerary to shopping

It chalks out the tour itinerary and arranges airport pick-up, transportation, sight-seeing, house boat cruise in the backwaters, hotel accommodation and shopping.

In addition to the KTDC tour packages, the personnel here can within minutes come up with packages to suit the needs of the guests. Foreign and domestic tourists contact the centre and make reservations through centralreservations@ ktdc.com.

A Finnish tourist group who came here last year was happy with the package offered to them and the hospitality provided at the KTDC properties. It is sending another group later this year.

Facilities

The authorities have also set up a room adjacent to the refurbished centre to provide a glimpse of the properties and the tourist attractions that await the visitors.

A plasma TV had been installed here to enable the officials make presentation.

The idea is to provide the tourists a feel of the properties of the KTDC, the facilities being offered and about the tourist attractions in the destination.

Tie-up

The KTDC has tie-ups with the tourism corporations of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The tourists can reserve rooms in advance in the properties of the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation at the central reservation.

“The demand is mostly for rooms in Kanyakumari as domestic tourists from the North make it a point to visit there. It is followed by Ooty and Rameswaram,” says Manager P. Jayakumar.

Online booking

Online booking by the year end and virtual walk through of all the eight premium properties are on the anvil.

Hundreds of pilgrims proceeding to visit Guruvayur also depend on the centre for booking rooms in the KTDC property in the temple town.

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

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