THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Taking a cue from Kerala’s stakeholder-friendly Caravan Tourism policy, branded as Keravan Kerala, auto major BharatBenz is all set to roll out its world class, ready-for-road Tourist Caravan in the state for the tourism industry to seize on the huge opportunities awaiting in the post pandemic revival.
The state-of-the-art BharatBenz Caravan has all the in-built features that ensures a smooth and comfortable ride for the visitors, besides being fully compliant with the latest safety and emission standards.
“It is heartening that the country’s top Commercial Vehicles maker has come out with a state-of-the-art tourist caravan with all required features for Keravan Kerala. This a loud and clear signal that our policy is set to become a big success as our tourism sector has begun to revive from the pandemic-triggered crisis. I am sure tourism industry will respond well to this,” said Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas, after a meeting with senior executives from BharatBenz who called on him.
“Ours is, by all standards, the country’s most comprehensive policy in this promising segment. It offers the highest incentives to the investors. With its launch, we will be able to tap the tourism potential of the entire state. It is for the guests to decide where they want to go and where they choose to stay,” Shri Riyas said.
The BharatBenz team also met Transport Minister Shri Antony Raju, who has evinced keen interest in the Caravan Tourism policy and recently agreed, in principle, to sharply reduce the Motor Vehicle Tax on tourist caravans to one-fourth from the current rates.
“Our interactions with the ministers have been quite promising. We are planning to have a formal launch of the Tourist Caravan in the state in a few days. We are sure that the response from the industry will be encouraging, as the policy unveiled by the State Government is really an investor-friendly one”, said Rajaram Krishnamurthy, Vice President – Marketing, Sales and Customer Service, BharatBenz.
This Caravan comes on Daimler’s 1017 Platform with globally proven technology which results in unmatched reliability. The Caravan comes with onboard amenities such as air conditioned lounge area with the best in comfort seats and an infotainment system, fully equipped kitchen with all essential appliances, washroom with shower and a spacious bedroom with a double bunk bed.
Rising to the preferences of tourists in the post-pandemic world, Kerala last month announced its comprehensive, stakeholder-friendly Caravan Tourism Policy, promising the visitors safe, customized and closest-to-nature travel experience.
The policy marked a paradigm shift in almost three decades after the houseboat tourism firmly marked the state on the global tourism map.
The policy offers big opportunities for investors to operate specially-built caravans for travel, leisure and stay. It also envisages a key role for a host of stake-holders, including local self government institutions, to set up eco-friendly Caravan Parks across the state to enable the visitors to spend a night or a day or station for an extended period to explore the destination of their choice.
