Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Infrastructure to be given priority

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government’s priority will be to develop good roads, make available potable water, electricity and to ensure sanitation in tourism destinations to retain the top position in the tourism sector, Minister for Tourism and Home Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said.

He was speaking after releasing two books on tourism brought out by the Kerala Bhasha Institute in association with the Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies at the Guest House here on Wednesday.

The Minister said the government would come up with a time-bound programme for this. Infrastructure facilities in tourism destinations have not improved as expected and were not commensurate with the 25 per cent increase in revenue earnings. Although the State needed 20,000 classified rooms during the peak season, there were only 10,000 rooms. The number of rooms in all hotels in the State is just 60,000.

Mr. Balakrishnan said many investors, even from abroad, were keen to invest in hospitality sector.

Authentic books that deal with various tourism aspects and in-depth studies were still lacking. The absence of authentic books on Tourism in English and guides who were well-versed with various foreign languages are the major hurdles faced by the industry.

The Minister said ecotourism project will be implemented in Sabarimala. The responsible tourism initiative, kicked off in Kumarakom, will be extended to all tourism destinations.

The Minister handed over the ‘Tourism: Growth and Development’ book written by Principal of KITTS B. Vijayakumar to Director of KITTS V. Rajeevan. The book ‘Tourism Employment and Labour Market Issues’ written by Vijayakumar and K.R. Pillai was handed over to D. Chandrasenan.

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