Kerala govt working towards promoting new tourism destinations: Tourism Minister

Kerala's Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran on Wednesday said that they were working towards promoting new tourism destination in the state in an attempt to boosts the sector's contribution in state GDP.

Speaking during the Question Hour proceedings in Kerala Assembly session, Surendran said that responsible tourism is being given priority in the state.

"Instead of focusing just on conventional tourism destinations that were just limited to the Travancore region, the government had taken steps to promote new tourism destinations in North Kerala. Most foreign tourists arrived on beaches in Kasaragod last year more than Kovalam. This is clearly a paradigm shift," he said.

The minister also said that the new tourism destinations are emerging in Kerala and the tourism industry contributes to 10 per cent of Kerala's GDP, which can be scaled up to 12 per cent.

Senior Congress MLA PT Thomas raised the issue of Nobel laureate and renowned biophysicist Michael Levitt and his wife getting stranded in a houseboat in Alappuzha after protestors prevented their boat from leaving during Bharat Bandh. He asked the minister about how the government had failed to give security and what action was taken on the incident. Replying to him, the minister said stringent action was taken and those who blocked the boat were arrested.

"The incident was unfortunate. Anti-social elements were responsible for it. Michael Levitt and his wife had arrived as a state guest but their houseboat trip was a private one, the government was not informed. But we have taken stringent action against those behind the incident," he said.