Seaplane services linking various tourist destinations in Kerala is still under the consideration of the State government, Minister for Tourism A.P. Anilkumar has said.
The proposal that was mooted about two years ago was kept in abeyance to clear concerns expressed by fishermen on the service affecting their livelihood at landing spots. “A detailed study is under way and the committee constituted for the purpose has a fishermen’s representative. Kerala Tourism intends to carve out seaplanes as a unique tourism product, just like traditional house boats,” he said. “It is a dream project and we are prepared to extend concessions to ‘early birds’ who evince interest in the sector,” the Minister said here on Monday at a press conference announcing the eighth edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM 2014).
The mart, to be held at Samudrika Convention Centre at Willingdon Island from September 18 to 20, will highlight innovative tourism products such as village-life experience, culture tours and destination weddings. The organisers — Kerala Tourism, tour and house boat operators, hospitality stakeholders — will showcase their products before prospective buyers from India and abroad, and media from around the globe.
To a question on what steps were being taken to revive the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) Hotels and Resorts, Mr. Anilkumar said Kerala Tourism had directed the agency’s CMD to step up marketing campaigns. “It used to aggressively market its properties, most of which are located in prime spaces in different parts of Kerala. Each property has been asked to carry out individual campaigns to highlight their uniqueness.”
He did not specify whether steps were being taken to deploy a dedicated boat in Kochi to resume KTDC’s backwater cruise.
On how economic slowdown had affected Kerala’s tourism sector, the Minister said the footfall had not increased as expected in the last season. Steps were being taken to streamline data collection so that correct figures could be recorded on tourist arrivals, he said.
On the Muziris project, Mr. Anilkumar said a soft launch of phase one was on the anvil. The formal launch would be held after Lok Sabha polls.
On the effectiveness of Responsible Tourism initiatives in different locales, he said the one at Kumarakom was well appreciated by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). The initiative would be extended to 112 panchayats, for which special training was given to heads of local bodies, he said.
On the lack of cleanliness in most tourist locales, he said projects to ensure garbage removal and treatment were being readied in places such as Kumarakom and Munnar. Sewage-treatment plants were being set up in Alappuzha, Kumarakom, etc., to prevent house boats from discharging toilet waste into backwaters, he said.
