Kerala Tourism's total revenue touches Rs 22,926.55-crore mark

Kerala Tourism's total revenue, both direct and indirect, touched the Rs 22,926.55-crore mark in 2013, compared to Rs 21,125 crore in 2012, a senior Kerala Tourism official said here today.
"Foreign exchange earnings earned by the state's tourism trade went up from Rs 4,571.69 crore in 2012 to Rs 5,560.77 crore in 2013. The increase in earnings reflects how well the state's travel trade has done in the global market," Kerala Tourism Director P I Sheikh Pareeth told reporters today.
Kerala Tourism's secretary Suman Billa said that foreign tourists arrivals went up in the state from 7,94,696 tourists in 2012, to 8,58,143 tourists, during the 12-month period from January 2013 to December 2013, registering an increase of 8.12 per cent.

"Domestic tourist arrivals also registered a 7.75 per cent increase," he said.
Pareeth said that the Kerala government has rolled out two new tourist initiatives, namely the 'Seaplane Project' and 'Project Muziris', in order to add to its array of tourist attractions.
While the seaplane project is aimed at improving last-mile connectivity to destinations across the state, 'Project Muziris' is aimed at reinstating the historical and cultural significance of the legendary port of Muziris in central Kerala.

For the seaplane project, the immediate plan is to provide services initially on the priority circuit at three the airports of Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode to connect prime destinations like Ashtamudi, Punnamada, Kumarakom, Bolgatty and Bekal in the state.

The Muziris Heritage Site stretches across the municipality of North Paravur in Ernakulam and more than 25 museums would showcase the heritage of the site, senior Kerala Tourism official P Murleedharan said.
Another intiative in the offing is the 'Spice Route Revival Project', which aims to showcase and promote the two millennia-old spice trade route which links the South Western Coast of India to Europe.
The initiative is being supported by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), which has pledged its support to the venture.