Kerala Tourism Concentrate's on the Malabar Region

Mumbai, Apr 9: Having put Southern Kerala on the international tourists map, Kerala Tourism has now set its eyes on North Kerala (Malabar region) to develop it as the next tourist hub in the state.

''The department of tourism now plans to focus on developing the magical Malabar region, which comprises five district's of Northern Kerala, namely Kasargod, Kanur, Wayanad, Kozhikode and Mallapuram,'' Director Kerala Tourism Sanjay Kaul said today.

Kaul was speaking at a function held here on the sidelines of a roadshow, which was being organised by Kerala tourism in Mumbai and will be carried out in Delhi, Ahmedabad and other cities to create awareness about its tourism products.

According to Kaul, the state registered a growth of 23.68 percent in 2006 over the previous year as a record 4.28 lakh International Tourists arrived in the state. Over 62 lakh domestic tourists visited Kerala during 2006 which is 5.47 percent higher than 2005. At the same time, the total earning from tourism has reached Rs 9000 crore, with the sector employing more than one million people across the state,'' he said.

Malabar region abounds in cultural, historical and natural wealth. Its serene beaches, unending backwaters, hill stations, timeless temples and rare wildlife makes it a paradise within a paradise.

''April to September is a non-tourism season in the state and we want to bring domestic tourists to Kerala during this period to further promote tourism,'' he said.

The tourism department is also organising a roadshow in Singapore in June this year, and similar shows in Sydney and Melbourne in Australia later this year. According to Mr Kaul, the Kerala Tourism department is also launching a micro portal within its own portal, which aims at building the traffic. The website will post most attractive holiday packages by the tour operators, hoteliers etc.

The department will soon set up a single window clearance cell in the state to boost investment in the sector.

Replying to a query on the promotion of the medical tourism in the state, Mr Kaul said that an approach paper on the issue was awaited from the Confederation of Indian Industry, and once the papers were available, the department will move accordingly.

UNI