Greater co-operation among States by evolving mutually beneficial policies and strategies is vital to revive tourism in the country, battered by COVID-19 pandemic, Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said on December 15.

The Minister was addressing a virtual summit organised by ET TravelWorld, a popular digital travel magazine. “The Changing Face of Travel” was the core theme of the conclave, attended by leading travel industry figures and policy makers from state tourism boards. The participants deliberated on pressing issues of travel and tourism industry and the way forward, with special focus on domestic tourism.

“A key objective of the summit is to leverage the potential of domestic tourism. This calls for increased co-operation and co-ordination among all states by formulating mutually beneficial policies and strategies,” Mr. Surendran said.

Recalling that the state tourism minister’s summit hosted by Kerala last year had come up with a resolution on the need to rationalise taxes and tariffs by striving to evolve a consensus, he said “as we are emerging out of the pandemic-induced crisis, such an approach assumes greater significance now.”

A globally renowned brand, Kerala Tourism has been no exception to the global downturn. The state has reopened most of its tourist centres, resulting in a consistent uptick in footfalls. With restrictions being relaxed, the state is hoping that the tourist season that coincides with the year-end and the New Year would further pick up, he said.

“There is lot of fatigue in people’s minds due to quarantines, lockdowns, isolation and work from home schedules imposed by the pandemic. So, people will be looking forward to come out of homes and re-energise themselves,’’ Mr. Surendran noted.

Kerala has been strictly following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) put in place by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, for hotels, accommodation units, resorts and transport operators, the Minister said.

Kerala Tourism has added more products to its attractive bouquet such as Veli Miniature Train in the State capital, flagged off recently. Vellar Craft village, near Kovalam beach, will be opened on December 17 by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Shangumugham, Kovalam and Varkala beaches, Akkulam tourist village and various destinations across the State are being renovated. Around 40 new destinations, which have been beautified recently, are awaiting tourists, he said.

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In the first phase, the village features about 50 crafts prepared in 28 studios. Each studio gives the customer an option to see the making of the handicraft first hand and buy them. It has paintings, pottery, cane products, jewellery, home decor, home and office equipment, clothing, statues, curios, souvenirs, exhibits and tools made of wood, palm and palm fronds, bamboo, reeds, coir and cloth.

Handicrafts like Pattachitra (cloth-based scroll paintings) from Bengal and Odisha, murals of Kerala, colourful paper quilting originating in ancient Egypt, centuries-old Nettoor boxes, glass-stone ornaments, etc can be seen in the studios. The studios also showcase the finest handicrafts inside and outside the country, including curios, dry flowers, handicrafts made from paper to metals, ivory creations, Pooram crafts and hammocks.

The woodwork category includes teak, rosewood and whitewood with products ranging from home appliances to toys. Aranmula Kannadi, Peruvamp musical instruments, Balaramapuram handloom, Muttathara wood carvings and Thazhava textile products are on the exhibit.

The Crafts Village employs about 750 artisans including Padmashree Gopi Master and Shilpaguru award winner, K S R Mohanan apart from several other artisans who are national and state award winners. There are also plans to organize a world-class art and craft biennale and workshops every year based on a specific theme, including painting, terracotta, handlooms, sculptures and bamboo and reed products.

The paintings of the selected artists will be exhibited at the Craft Village Art Gallery. The Emporium Village will be home to an innovative market for world-class crafts and paintings from other states too. The spice garden, herb garden, vegetable garden and evolution garden will be an added attraction.

Performances of traditional art and dance forms of Kerala like Theyyam, Kathakali, Kolkali, Thiruvathira, Margamkali, Pavakoothu and Kalaripayat will be held to introduce the heritage and culture of the state to visitors from other countries. Initially, the performances will be held on Saturdays, Sundays and other public holidays.

The game zone includes adventure sports such as archery, shooting and rock climbing. Future plans include collaborating with leading interior designers, fashion designers and architects of the country, to make this as a marketing venue.

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Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Coorperation, Dewasoms and Tourism, said the tourism sector in the state has witnessed tremendous growth in the last four years. During the period, the tourism industry has grown exponentially as a result of various international and extensive campaigns, developments in existing tourist destinations and the development of new destinations. This growth has survived major crises such as the Okhi, Nipah, and the floods.

The Champions Boat League was organised to attract tourists from all over the world by connecting various boat races held in Kerala. In 2019, the Champions Boat League boat race was successfully held in 12 centers in the State.

A heritage project of Rs.10 crore is being implemented for the renovation and protection of Chala Heritage Street in Thiruvananthapuram district. The first phase was inaugurated recently. In Madavoorpara, a tourism infrastructure development project was implemented at a cost of Rs.7 crore. The Kozhikode Mithai Street Heritage Project was completed at a cost of Rs 6.5 crore and dedicated to the country.

The second phase of the Jatayupara Tourism Project, the first public-private partnership tourism project in the state, has been completed. Phase III work was now under progress.

The Responsible Tourism Mission has set up 15,518 new units in the state, directly and indirectly employing 78,000 people in the tourism sector. The Green Carpet Project has been launched to ensure the basic facilities for tourists in the tourism sector in Kerala. The Green Carpet project is being implemented in collaboration with local bodies, community organisations, NGOs and the student community.

The Pepper project was initiated under the auspices of the Responsible Tourism Mission to ensure local participation in the tourism development process. All the major tourism destinations in Kerala have started the process of making themselves differently able-friendly. In the first phase, about 100 centers became diversity-friendly.

A project of Rs.10 crore has been completed to start the first train service in Kerala which will facilitate tourists visiting Veli Tourist Village. The construction work of a project worth Rs.34 crore has been started to set up a convention centre, tourist facilitation centre, eco park and urban park on the land acquired 20 years ago for the comprehensive development of Veli Tourist Village.

To make the Thenmala eco-tourism project more attractive, a light and sound show project has been completed at a cost of Rs.5 crore and opened to the public. Projects worth Rs.60 crore have been started in prominent tourist destinations in Thiruvananthapuram district such as Kovalam, Shankhumugham, Akkulam and Varkala.

Renovation work has started with administrative approval for a project of Rs.10 crore to preserve the Kanakakunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram and to set up a digital museum for tourists. Renovated on the model of Vellar Craft Village Sargalaya. The first phase of `10 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of a convention centre and digital museum at Chempazhanthi Gurukul, the birthplace of Sree Narayana Guru, to provide tourists with a biography and vision of Sree Narayana Guru. Construction is in full swing.

Construction work on a new 56-room guest house at Guruvayur has started at a cost of Rs.24 crore. It will be completed within a year. The Minister said that the Swadeshi Darshan project worth Rs.100 crore has been completed on time with the help of the Central Government to make the Padmanabhaswamy Temple area in Thiruvananthapuram attractive.

The State Government has approved a project of Rs.50 crore for the Malabar and Malnad River Cruise Project and the construction of more than 15 boat terminals is nearing completion. The Malabar and Malnad River Cruise Project, which will cost Rs.325 crore, will increase the tourism potential of Malabar. The heritage conservation project is being implemented in the ancient trading centers of Kerala such as Alappuzha, Thalassery and Ponnani. The Minister said that steps have been taken to implement a heritage conservation project based on heritage monuments in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Kollam districts.

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