KTDC to begin work on cottages in Bekal

The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) Hotels and Resorts will open its first property in Bekal in Kasaragod district likely in five months. Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will inaugurate the work on the resort named Beach Camp, with 30 cottages, on July 31.

The cottages will come up on two hectares of land situated between the Bekal beach park and the tsunami park. The State-owned Bekal Resorts Development Corporation has leased out the land for 33 years. Beach Camp will be the first property of the KTDC in the Malabar region and its 32nd resort.

The corporation has decided to use ‘knock-down' technology to construct the cottages and to complete the first phase of 20 cottages within five months, an official told

The Hindu . Structures existing on the premises will be made use of. Till now, the property was being used as a tented camping site.

Each cottage resembling a tent will offer the guests a spectacular view of the Bekal Fort and its surroundings. “We will be marketing the property in the lower section of the premium class as in Ponmudi, as there are already high-end resorts in Bekal,” the official said.

In the second phase, another 10 cottages and a swimming pool will be constructed. The property will have an Ayurvedic centre as the KTDC plans to market beach and ayurveda.

KTDC Chairman Cherian Philip says it will construct premium properties in Kozhikode and on the Muzhappilangad beaches as part of the government's efforts to develop tourism in Malabar.

An investment of Rs.750 crore is estimated in Bekal, which was declared a special tourism area by the Union government in 1992 for integrated resort development. Six sites with an area of 89.03 hectares have been given on a 30-year lease. Five-star resorts are coming up on 76.89 hectares spread over four panchayats. Already, Rs.100 crore had been spent at Bekal for creating infrastructure.