The Kerala government on Thursday announced a visionary ‘Mission 2030’ master plan aimed at boosting the state’s GDP share from the current 12 per cent to an ambitious 20 per cent through strategic development of the travel and hospitality sector.
Speaking at the Tourism Investors Meet (TIM), state Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas highlighted the need for substantial private investment to fully harness the state’s tourism potential.The comprehensive blueprint for this transformative initiative is set to be unveiled early next year, providing a roadmap for stakeholders both domestically and internationally.
‘We need to attract private investment in a big way to make full use of our tourism resources. For this, we have been locating destinations that merit development and permitting private entrepreneurs to initiate projects there,’the minister said, chairing the inaugural session of the day-long event.Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the event.
Revealing that the projects under Mission 2030 will adhere to sustainable development goals, eco-conservation, and responsible tourism, Riyas said the government will catalyse public-private partnerships, enhance subsidies, and provide grants.
The minister, while pointing out the need to modernise and enhance the tourism sector in tune with current demands and preferences, said the ongoing roadwork for a six-lane national highway from Kasaragod down to Thiruvananthapuram will be completed by 2025.
‘Also, an arterial road across nine of the state’s coastal districts is getting over. This will enable tourism centres every 50 kilometres along our beautiful coastal stretches,’ he said.’Further, Kerala is laying a hill highway (SH-59), which is towards its final stage.
All this will boost our tourism prospects,’ he said.
Citing the need for the tourism sector to change in tune with current trends, Riyas called upon investors to join the government’s efforts towards making Kerala attractive for travellers around the year.A single-window system will soon be implemented for prompt clearance of tourism projects by giving quick permission and licences to entrepreneurs.While Kerala’s travel and hospitality industry has been a subject of study for the rest of the world, the state’s responsible tourism initiative has served as a model for replication elsewhere, the minister added.
Kerala Chief Secretary Dr V Venu, while lauding the Tourism Minister’s diligence to host TIM in a short period for preparation, said the conclave is an exemplary effort to showcase Kerala’s eminence as a travel destination before the rest of the world.