GIS-based database for 120 tourist sites

Kerala Tourism is to prepare a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based database of 120 tourist destinations across the State.

With this, tourists will be able to move around these destinations without a guide’s help as all details will be available on the Net. The database will also come in handy for researchers.

Tourism-related infrastructure in these destinations will be mapped as part of the project that has been entrusted to the Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS).

Infrastructure such as hotels, restaurants, cloak rooms, telephone booths, toilets, tourist attractions, government buildings, and hospitals in the destinations will be identified and categorised. Places such as sacred groves, which have tourism potential, will also be mapped.

The Working Group of Tourism has cleared the project put forward by the Director of Tourism and the government had given administrative sanction for Rs.65 lakh for the work, official sources said.

Forty aspects

KITTS has given the work to Kerala Tourism’s IT solution provider, Invis Multimedia.

Forty aspects related to tourism infrastructure will be collected from these destinations across the State. Work will commence soon on the project.

Mapping work

Teams will be deployed in all the 14 districts to complete the mapping work by March this year.

The Tourism Department has also kicked off a process to commence a continuous tourist survey.

The survey is for interpretation of data on profiles, expenditures and performances for three years.

Infrastructure details of tourist destinations will be made available on Web.