Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran on Thursday said the State government would implement various tourism development projects worth ₹600 crore in the Malabar region.
Opening the second phase of various infrastructure development projects at Payamkuttimala eco-tourism spot, the Minister said the proposed river cruise project would be a game changer for the whole of Malabar.
“The contribution of prominent bloggers who recently visited the popular tourism destinations in northern Kerala has helped us very much to highlight our attractions to the rest of the world,” said Mr. Surendran. It also led to an increase in the inflow of foreign tourists to the prominent tourism destinations in Malabar.
According to Mr. Surendran, the commissioning of the Kannur airport had turned out to be a big advantage for the growth of the tourism sector. “We have reasons to believe that the tourism sector has bigger prospects compared with that of large-scale industries”.
Referring to the uncontrolled littering in eco-tourism spots, the Minister said cleanliness and hygiene standards could be maintained only with the wholehearted cooperation of tourists. “Compliance with the green protocol will be the only solution to the issue and its strict enforcement at all the eco-tourism spots is under consideration,” he said.
He said the State government would come up with a new heritage tourism project linking prominent rural tourism destinations in and around Vadakara in the next fiscal. The initiative would benefit the historically important Lokanarkavu temple and the proper conservation of the Vadakara’s Thazhe Angadi market, which was once the hub of the rural market.
Parakkal Abdulla, MLA, chaired the inaugural event. P. Balakiran, director of Kerala Tourism; C.K. Nanu, MLA; and representatives of various local self government bodies were present. Tourism Department officials said the second phase of infrastructure development projects at Payamkuttimala would be completed at a cost of ₹2.15 crore.
