Tag Archives: Minister for Co-operation

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated a Rs 25-crore project for the restoration of the heritage of the iconic Mascot Hotel, coinciding with the celebrations of 100 years of the hospitality pioneer in Thiruvananthapuram. The comprehensive project, drawn up by Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC), was unveiled close on the heels of Mascot Hotel bagging the five-star status. Vijayan also unveiled the plaque to mark the historic occasion and opened a month-long exhibition that depicts the 100 years of glorious service of the trail blazer in hospitality sector in the state. Minister for Co-operation, Devaswom and Tourism, Kadakampally Surendran presided over the function held at Mascot Hotel. Surendran said that Mascot has got the unique distinction of being the maiden five-star hotel in the public sector. Recalling the history and fame of the institution, he noted “In the hotel map published by the Bombay-based Indian Hotel Company in 1937, Mascot was one among the four hotels listed from South India. In 1965, it came under KTDC.” The Minister underscored the need to adopt quality service and new marketing strategies in order to compete with private players in the hospitality industry. M Vijayakumar, Chairman, KTDC, delivered a felicitation speech. He said, “Mascot Hotel is a priceless treasure of Kerala. It is the jewel in KTDC’s crown. The heritage restoration project will be carried out without in any way harming its distinguishing architectural features.” The project to strengthen and preserve the heritage property will be executed under the leadership of Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society. The works to be taken up include strengthening of the building, rooms, passages, beautification of the premises and improving the amenities. They will be completed in two phases within a …

To reach out to the domestic market, Kerala Tourism is organising a string of Partnership Meets in Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Kolkata, Patna and Delhi in the 1st quarter of 2018. At the Partnership Meet in Mumbai on January 09, Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Co-Operation, Tourism and Devaswom, Government of Kerala, said, “To ensure the accomplishment of an ambitious target of a 100% increase in arrival of foreign tourists and 50% in domestic tourists in five years, a tourism regulatory authority has been formed. This would help put a stop to any unhealthy practices and guarantee better intervention of the Tourism Department through scrutiny and a licensing system.” The new Kerala Tourism Policy also forms a major highlight of this year’s domestic campaign. The revamped fare with an array of new tourism products was showcased at Mumbai today.

Kerala Tourism is gearing up for a three-month long international campaign in its bid to lure foreign tourists to God’s Own Country. The Phase II of the campaign would commence with the participation of Kerala Tourism in Vakantiebeurs, the tourism-leisure fair of The Netherlands, followed by FITUR, the international tourism trade fair of Spain. The German cities of Dusseldorf (January 23) and Hamburg (January 25) would be the venues for the first roadshows in Phase II. The roadshows in the emerging West Asian markets will be held between February 26-28, 2018, which includes Qatar (Doha- February 26), Oman (Muscat-February 27) and the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi-February 28). Later in April 2018, B2B meets will be organized in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. On January 24, the campaign will kick-start in New York City of the United States, followed by the New York Times Travel Show scheduled to be held from January 26 to January 28. Further road shows will be organized in Los Angeles (January 30) and San Francisco (February 1), which has been escalating foreign tourist arrivals to Kerala. The campaign would culminate with BIT, the international travel expo and road show at Milan in Italy (February 11 – 13, 2018). The Tourism Department of Kerala had received overwhelming response to the Phase I campaign, at International Trade Fairs and B2B meets in 12 countries, which ended last month. Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Co-Operation, Tourism and Devaswom, Government of Kerala, stated: “With the promotional strategy, we aim to showcase diversified tourism products across high-potential markets in order to attract tourists to visit the state. Kerala Tourism has been centered on leisure tourism, but now we aim to re-brand Kerala …

The Handicrafts Heritage Tour, organised by the Sargaalaya Arts and Crafts Village, was flagged off by the Minister for Co-Operation, Tourism and Devaswom, Government of Kerala, Kadakampally Surendran in Thiruvananthapuram. The Sargaalaya Handicrafts Heritage Tour will travel from the state capital to Kasargod and will pass through various villages known for its tradition, arts and handicrafts. On the occasion, Minister for Excise and Labour T.P. Ramakrishnan was also present. The Heritage Tour is being organised in the run up to the seventh annual ‘Sargaalaya International Arts and Crafts Festival’, scheduled to be held between December 21, 2017 and January 8, 2018 at the Sargaalaya Village at Iringal in Kozhikode. The handicrafts festival is being organised with the support of the Departments of Tourism, Industries, Culture, and Coir, Government of Kerala. The festival will have the participation of more than 400 artisans from as many as 25 states in India. Besides, artisans from South Africa, Egypt, Uganda, Nepal, Sri Lanka will also be participating in the event. The Sargaalaya International Arts and Crafts Festival will put on display-and-sale handicrafts items made by around 500 artisans. The festival will also include arts and entertainment programs organised under the aegis of the Central government’s South Zone Cultural Centre, Tanjavur; the State Department of Culture’s Bharat Bhavan; and the Kerala Folklore Academy. Artisans from villages like Aranmula (known for the renowned Aranmula Mirror), Thazhava (known for unique mats), Perumbava (renowned for the manufacture of Mridangam and Maddalam), Vellinezhi (known for the decorative accessories used in Kathakali make up), Aruvacode (famous for clay products), Cherppu (known for wooden handicrafts items) and Kunhimangaalam (famous for the manufacture of metal handicrafts products) will be a part of …

Kerala’s new Tourism Policy 2017, unveiled by Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Co-operation, Tourism and Devaswom, Government of Kerala, envisages creation of new customised products for attracting young travellers, professionals, students and artists to the state. The policy emphasises on the active participation of the differently-abled and transgenders, while implementing the Responsible Tourism Mission across the State to promote the tourism sector. Surendran said, “The new policy aims to address the key issues of the tourism industry in cooperation with the local bodies such as waste management and renovation of roads. The state has immense tourism potential to attract travellers from all corners of the world.” “Following the Responsible Tourism Mission, Kerala Tourism has guided all the regional bodies and authorities concerned to implement and follow the Green Protocol at all the destinations of Kerala,” he further added. The Department of Tourism, Kerala, has proposed to establish a Kerala Tourism Regulatory Authority (KTRA) to ensure quality service for tourists and curb unhealthy practices in the tourism sector.