Steena Joy – Mumbai
The Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) set up by the Kerala government for promoting adventure tourism in the state is finalising the master plans for developing adventure tourism in three selected sites – Kappil, Muzhpippilangad and Vagamon.
Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, G Kamala Vardhana Rao, secretary, Kerala Tourism, informed, “KATPS is in the process of preparing three different comprehensive master plans for the adventure tourism development of Kappil (Thiruvananthapuram district), Vagamon (Idukki district) and Muzhappilangad (Kannur district). Mountain Bike (MTB), International River Rafting competition, and Vagamon Paragliding are some of the international competition held recently to attract adventure loving tourists.” For the preparation of the master plans, six agencies have been prequalified. Rao mentioned that the state is also planning to promote village life tourism.
Commenting on the recently launched Visit Kerala initiative, Rao stated, “In 2014, we saw 9.23 lakh foreign arrivals and 116.95 domestic arrivals. With the launch of Visit Kerala campaign, we expect a growth of 12-15 per cent in tourist arrivals this year.”
Regarding the much acclaimed Muziris project, Rao said, “We have received good response for the project. There has been great interest among the visitors as this project is of historical significance. Many tour operators have started putting Muziris project in their itineraries. The formal inauguration of the project will be done soon. We have great hopes in the Muziris project.” In order to revive the old Spice Route, Kerala Tourism has started the Spice Route project with the support and cooperation of the state and central government.
Rao added, “We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and received support from The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). We have had dialogues with many embassies and various other countries for their support and some countries have shown interest in developing the Spice Route project.”
Rao was also excited about the possibilities opened up by the extension of Visa On Arrival (VOA) scheme. “With the extension of the VOA facility, we expect a positive impact for the tourism sector as arriving in Kerala has become more hassle-free for many countries. This will see an increase in the number of foreign visitors to the state,” he said.