KOCHI: The provision in the state government’s new liquor policy allowing hotels above three stars to serve liquor on dry days for weddings or international conferences has been welcomed by stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Jose Pradeep, president of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), told TNIE, “We are happy. At least, now the state government has proven it is serious about MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) and wedding tourism. Though we need to pay Rs 50,000 for a one-day licence to serve liquor on dry days, we feel things are moving in a positive direction.”
Pradeep said the only problem would be getting the organisers to pay the licence fee. “It should be noted that organisers of big MICE or wedding events won’t have a problem paying up,” he added.
The cabinet approved the draft policy on Wednesday. Stakeholders hoped more restrictions would be eased in future.
“We see the new policy as a stepping stone to better outcomes,” said the KTM president. A relaxation in the liquor policy, Pradeep said, had been a long-pending demand of the quarter-century-old organisation.
KTM honorary secretary S Swaminathan said, along with MICE tourism, a key emphasis in the previous KTM in Kochi was cruise tourism.
“The decision to allow liquor to be served on luxury ships will inject energy into this sector,” he said.
The new policy also allows sale of liquor in industrial and IT parks.
“Trade conferences and international summits have the biggest potential for MICE tourism,” Swaminathan said, adding, “The relaxations granted in industrial and IT parks will indirectly benefit MICE tourism.”
Welcoming the new policy, the Event Management Association Kerala (EMAK) called it a progressive step towards boosting Kerala’s tourism sector.
“Our long-standing requests have been acknowledged. This is a much-needed boost for the industry, particularly in attracting high-value domestic and international events,” said Raju Kannampuzha, EMAK president.