THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Kerala will work in tandem with Tourism Boards of other states to revitalize domestic tourism that has suffered a huge beating from the COVID-19 pandemic and would promote Ayurveda, eco-tourism and adventure tourism in a major way to get the tourism sector back on its feet.
“Kerala Tourism will work together with other state tourism departments so that a tourist travelling from one state to another has a hassle-free experience. We expect to welcome guests in the next one or two months,” Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said. The minister was speaking at the valedictory session of the two-day Tourism E-Conclave, ‘Travel & Hospitality: What’s Next?’, which concluded on Thursday.
“We are starting off by reviving domestic tourism, first within our own state, followed by other states. An action plan for the revival of the tourism sector is being drawn up and several support schemes are under the consideration of the Kerala Government, including assistance to tourism stakeholders and employees,” the minister said. Kerala Tourism is looking forward to collaborating with other State Tourism Boards as well as the Union Ministry of Tourism for the promotion of domestic tourism, he told the e-conclave, organised by FICCI.
Further, Ayurveda would be promoted in a major way, considering the importance of healing and wellness in the current COVID scenario. Plans are also afoot to promote eco-tourism and adventure tourism among domestic tourists. The minister also assured to fully support the unified guidelines and protocols chalked out by the Union Ministry of Tourism, saying these would serve as a road map for the states to revitalize domestic tourism and reinstate India’s position as a high value destination.
Asserting that Kerala would also be making its presence felt on the Incredible India digital platform by providing relevant content, the minister revealed that plans are afoot to prepare itineraries that include destinations in the neighbouring states as well. Surendran said the COVID-19 pandemic has crippled life around the world. “It has shattered economies, and travel and tourism is one of the major sectors that has been badly hit. It’s an unprecedented crisis and Kerala Tourism is slowly finding its feet. We have a long way to go, but we are on the right path,” he added.
Observing that the crisis management experience gained from the 2018 floods and the Nipah outbreak has also helped Kerala to combat the coronavirus effectively, he said Kerala Tourism stands in solidarity with the travel trade across the world and is doing all it can to minimize the impact on travel as well as trade.
“We are sure we’ll defeat all odds and make a remarkable comeback. The strong synergy between the private and public sector will be a key driving force on our road to recovery,” he said.
The valedictory session was also addressed by Tourism Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, besides Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India.
The conclave had a string of interesting plenary sessions on topics like ‘Spotlight on hidden tourism jewels of India – Exploring the unexplored tourism potentials’, and ‘Role of Technology & Innovation to revive Travel & Tourism and Emergence of New Workforce models’.
