Marketing of the IPL-modelled Champions Boat League (CBL), commissioning of the Muziris heritage project and a dozen museums in Alappuzha, emphasis on tourism projects in Malabar, and a pilgrim tourism circuit Thatwamasi linking places of worship and festivals are the highlights of the ₹320-crore allocation in the Budget for tourism sector.
Renovation of ancient temples, such as the Mahadeva temple at Koothattukulam, will be taken up by Kerala Tourism in association with the Devaswom Board and ₹5 crore has been allocated in the Budget.
An autonomous hotel management college at international standards will be set up at Dharmadom, which is represented by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the Assembly. Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said effective marketing helped Kerala Tourism overcome two floods and achieve 18.5% growth in the number of domestic tourists and 8.24% for foreign tourists in 2019.
Of the ₹320-crore allocation, ₹63 crore is for marketing, ₹20 crore for the CBL and jalamelas, ₹5 crore for the Thatwamasi circuit, and ₹10 crore for the Travancore heritage scheme.
Dr. Isaac said the CBL would be highlighted as the main attraction in this year’s tourism marketing plan. Financial assistance would be given to ‘jalamelas’ which did not come under the CBL.
“When future possibilities are taken into consideration, the Spices Route project is the most elaborate project. Unesco has expressed interest in it.” He said heritage preservation projects centred on Muziris and Alappuzha had advanced. Activities of tourism circuits centred at Thalassery were going on.
Plans of Kozhikode, Ponnani, and Thankassery ports were being formulated.
