THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 15 March 2008 — The total revenue generated by the tourism industry in Kerala last year crossed Rs.100 billion mark for the first time, according to figures released here recently.
The total revenue generated from tourism in Kerala last year was Rs.114.33 billion; an increase of 25.28 percent from the previous year when it was Rs.91.26 billion. Foreign exchange earnings by the sector also grew by 32.82 percent in 2007 touching Rs.26.41 billion mark.
In 2007, over 515,000 foreign tourists visited the state, registering a growth of 20.37 percent. Both foreign and domestic tourist arrivals were strong in the traditional “off season” of May-August as well though the traditional “peak season” of January-February and November-December continue to account for a majority of the tourist arrivals.
The state now promotes “responsible tourism” in an aggressive manner with the participation of all the stakeholders and is preparing to host an international summit on the topic later this month.
“Kerala is going to be an upmarket, high-quality destination through rational utilization of resources,” Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said. “The focus is on integrated development of infrastructure, preserving the heritage, conserving environment and enhancing productivity, income, employment, and thereby making tourism the most important sector for the socioeconomic development and environment protection of the state.”
The state has always positioned itself as an expensive destination for the backpackers with its unique products like ayurveda, backwaters, monsoon tourism, farm tourism and eco-tourism for the high-end tourists. The beach tourism has lost its sheen in the state.
Kerala has been able to transform itself into one of the popular holiday destinations in India and Kerala Tourism is regarded today as one of the global destinations with the highest brand recall.
Buoyed by the robust growth, the state government is now going in for major initiatives to attract quality holidaymakers. Kochi will become the first Indian destination of Volvo Ocean Race in December. India’s first marina that the state hopes to commission in the city by the year-end and the international cruise terminal coming up nearby are also expected to fuel growth in this segment.
SmartCity Invites Planners
The multibillion-dollar SmartCity project in Kochi, a joint-venture between Dubai’s Tecom Investments and the government of Kerala, has invited companies to submit proposals for the project’s master plan. “We are happy to announce the beginning of the next phase,” SmartCity Executive Director Fareed Abdulrahman said in a statement here. “The master plan is one of the most fundamental steps toward translating our dream into reality. We have short-listed four eminent international and national master planners and have invited them to submit their proposals for the project,” he said.
During the SmartCity Kochi board meeting in December 2007, it was mentioned that the work on the master plan process for the project would start by the first quarter of 2008.
A self-sustained industry township for knowledge-based companies SmartCity Kochi will be one of India’s largest business parks, based on the successful models of Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Knowledge Village. It will provide an infrastructure, environment and support systems to promote the growth of knowledge-based industries.
Apart from a modern business-community infrastructure, SmartCity Kochi will offer a host of business support services.
