Kerala: Inflow of foreign tourists increases by 19.43 per cent

The inflow of foreign tourists to Kerala increased by 19.43 per cent in 2007 compared to the previous year, making tourism one of the fastest growing sectors in the State, according to Kerala Governor R.L. Bhatia.

In his address to the State legislature on Wednesday, he said that 4,43,594 foreign tourists visited the State in 2007. Tourism generated a revenue of Rs.9,126 crore for the State in 2006.

He said the Tourism Department would shortly come out with a ‘White Paper on Responsible Tourism’ to guide the government’s future policy initiatives in the sector. The government proposed to develop adventure tourism as a special attraction in the State. A hospitality management institute would be set up in Kozhikode and a ‘Board of Tourism Studies’ would be created shortly to improve the academic content of tourism and hospitality studies.

Smart City project

The Smart City project, formally launched in November last year, was expected to generate employment for 90,000 people in the IT sector. The government proposed to develop other IT cities/knowledge cities also in other parts of the State in view of the State’s emerging status as an IT investment destination, Mr. Bhatia said.

In the industries sector, the government’s approach was to convert the public sector units into profitable ones, rather than close down the loss-making ones. The State public sector Transformers and Electricals Kerala Limited had entered into a contract with the National Thermal Power Corporation for a joint venture. BrahMos Aerospace, a company under the Defence Ministry, had taken over the State public sector Kerala High-Tec Industries Limited. Indian Railways would similarly start a bogie manufacturing unit at Steel Industries Limited Kerala at Cherthala, he said.

Titanium sponge

The Governor said that discussions were in progress for a collaborative venture with a Russian firm for setting up a facility for the manufacture of around 10,000 tonnes of titanium sponge annually.

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