Tap unexplored spots, Riyas tells DTPCs
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas on Wednesday said District Tourism Promotion Councils (DTPCs) have a vital role to play in identifying the unexplored destinations across the state, which will expedite sustainable and inclusive development of tourism as envisioned by the state government. Addressing a two-day familiarisation programme for the newly-appointed DTPC secretaries held by the tourism department here, the minister said it was also important that DTPCs take utmost care in maintaining well the valuable tourism assets in their respective areas.
“It is primarily your responsibility to explore unexplored destinations. The government’s perspective about tourism is that development of this key sector should also bring benefits to people. DTPCs should function in tune with the government policies,” Riyas said. He said the DTPC could draw up projects and get department’s support for them if that was required for proper maintenance of such properties.
There should be total transparency in the functioning of DTPCs without yielding to influence and pressure from external forces and the projects taken up by them should be completed in a time-bound manner. Referring to the caravan tourism project, he said the DTPCs can also identify potential sites for setting up caravan parks. Discussions have been held for inter-departmental collaboration for initiatives such as Wellness Tourism, Hydel Tourism, Cinema Tourism and ‘Foodie Wheels’, he added.