The Hindu Business Line : KTDC to expand Munnar Tea County; eyes Chennai

Mr M.N. Gunavardhanan, Managing Director, KTDC, told Business Line that the company would add 32 rooms and four suites to its Tea County property. This hotel is one of KTDC's most popular properties and there is a demand for more rooms, he said.

The Kerala Tourism Minister, Mr Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, had recently announced that KTDC would set up a hotel in Chennai.

Commenting on this project, Mr Gunavardhanan said the hotel would be located on land owned by the Government of Kerala on Greams Road in Chennai.

The land will be leased to KTDC. The details of this project are still being worked out. A final decision on the number of rooms and other facilities in this hotel will be taken very soon, he said.

Meanwhile, the company is adding a `presidential suite' to its Waterscapes hotel in Kumarakom and is renovating its Samudra hotel at Kovalam near Thiruvananthapuram.

The KTDC board has also approved a proposal to construct a conference hall at the Samudra hotel and also at the Tea County hotel in Munnar, Mr Gunavardhanan said.

Work on renovating the company's budget hotel, Chaitram, in Thiruvananthapuram will start soon, he added.

Aggressive marketing has helped the company earn a net profit of Rs 66 lakh on revenues of Rs 47 crore in the last financial year.

Special tour packages and partnerships with airlines have helped boost KTDC's occupancy levels and revenues, especially during the `off season', he said.

Based on its present performance and current trends in the tourism industry, KTDC should be able to wipe off its accumulated losses of approximately Rs 9 crore over the next two years, he added.