Kerala Tourism will promote the Jatayu Earth Centre as its new product by branding it a ‘international tourism cultural centre.’
Phase II of the centre will be commissioned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on July 4. Situated in 65 acres, the centre is the first tourism initiative in public-private-partnership in the State under Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) mode. The Chief Minister will launch Jatayu, arguably the world’s largest bird sculpture, a state-of-the-art cable car service imported from Switzerland, an adventure park, and a helicopter local flying service.
Jatayupara would be marketed by Kerala Tourism as its new tourism product in international fairs and festivals, Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran told a press conference here on Tuesday.
The largest bird sculpture —200-ft-long, 150-ft-wide, 70-ft-tall, and with an area of 15,000 sq ft — of the mythical Jatayu, developed by filmmaker Rajiv Anchal, could be accessed by state-of-the-art cable car service or by foot. Travelling to a thousand feet height in cable car will itself be a mind-blowing experience for the tourists.
Helicopter local flying will be another attraction. A helipad and ancillary facilities for two helicopters has been set up in Jatayupara and the DGCA nod obtained for this. Mr. Rajiv, also the CMD of the centre, said a private helicopter operator had been roped in for operating the services. The government was also looking into whether the service of the operator could be used for linking various tourism spots, the Minister said.
Art performances
Art performances would also be performed near the sculpture to present the place as a cultural hub. The hamlet of Chadayamangalam, along MC Road, and the heritage site of Jatayupara would thus be a blend of culture of the State and a tourism spot. The museum and 6D theatre inside the bird sculpture, as part of phase III, will begin in November this year itself. Mr. Rajiv said Ayurveda-Siddha centre, to be housed inside the natural caves cushioned between the rocks, would also be available from November. The adventure zone that had more than 20 games was already open for the public.
The Tourism Minister said 150 NoRKs had invested ₹100 crore in the project. The land had been leased out and ₹12 crore had been provided by Kerala Tourism for setting up infrastructure facilities. The centre had to remit 2% of the gross revenue to the State. It would have to handover itself with facilities after 30 years, Mr. Surendran said.
The ticket charge of ₹400, include ₹250 for cable car service and ₹150 for entry. A sum of ₹2,500 will be charged from those using the adventure park. Rani George, Secretary, Tourism, P. Balakiran, Director, Tourism, and P. P. Pramod, Director, Ecotourism were present at the media briefing.
