The Hindu Business Line : Tourism revenue expected to be Rs 9,000 cr this year

For a smooth tour
The functioning of tourist facilitation centres will be strengthened and District Tourism Development Councils reconstituted.
Government to consider the suggestion to give stickers to the vehicles used by tourists.
A programme to train tourist guides on the anvil.
Helicopter service connecting important tourism destinations in offing.

Thiruvananthapuram , June 20

The State Government is expecting revenues from the tourism sector to touch Rs 9,000 crore during the current year.

The Minister for Home and Tourism, Mr Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, told the State Assembly on Tuesday that the projected revenues represented around 16 per cent increase over the Rs 7,738 crore achieved last year.

Replying to questions, the Minister said that the Government would give priority to developing infrastructure, including new roads, to attract more tourists to the State.

Besides, programmes such as international road shows and tourism festivals would be held to promote the tourism sector.

The functioning of tourist facilitation centres in the State will be strengthened and District Tourism Development Councils reconstituted, Mr Balakrishnan said.

The Minister informed the House that the Government would try to evolve a consensus among the political parties to exempt the tourism sector from general strikes and hartals.

He said that essential services like milk supply, medical stores, hospitals and weddings are already exempted from strikes and the same could be applied to the tourism sector as well. He, however, added that the right to protest could not be taken away to promote tourism.

The tourists, who visit the State with a fixed itinerary, will have to be compensated if they are unable to visit all the destinations as planned. The Government will also consider the suggestion to give stickers to the vehicles used by tourists.

The Minister said that a programme to train tourist guides is on the anvil. The suggestion to open Idukki dam for tourists on Saturdays and Sundays will be examined.

COPTER SERVICE

In reply to another question, he said that Deccan Airways had informed the Tourism Department that all arrangements had been made to start a helicopter service connecting important tourism destinations. However, the department is not a partner in the venture.

The Deccan Airways will decide what centres are to be connected on the basis of the availability tourists. Even so, the company has informed the department that important centres such as Kochi and Kumarakom will be connected.

In reply to a question whether the fares for the service would be low so as to make it affordable to the domestic tourists, the Minister said that it was up to the agency operating the services to decide on the fares.