Kerala govt to set up Cabinet committee on tourism

The Kerala Government will set up a Cabinet Committee on tourism with the chief minister as chairman and minister for tourism as vice-chairman to oversee the implementation of the tourism infrastructure plans. The government has also announced that fast-track clearance will be given to tourism projects with investment over and above Rs 10 crore.

This was announced by chief minister Oommen Chandy after unveiling the tourism policy of the United Democratic Front (UDF) government.

The highlights of the policy include setting up a task force against trafficking and abuse, hop-on hop-off services at Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Fort Kochi, Kochi backwaters and Munnar, broad-base responsible tourism (RT) initiative throughout the state, and learning from the pilot locations of Kovalam, Kumarakom, Thekkady and Wayanad.

 

The policy also envisages creation of the Kerala responsible tourism task force at the state level, wherein a new system will be introduced whereby 15 per cent of the total investment, subject to a maximum ceiling of Rs 20 lakh will be provided for investors classified under RT as subsidy. The existing subsidy schemes will be withdrawn by next year.

Marketing Kerala as a visible global brand with equal focus on domestic and international markets and strengthening the existing markets besides tapping into new emerging markets, setting up the Kerala Convention Promotion Bureau (KCPB) with the participation of the tourism industry to market the region aggressively.