THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of reviving the tourism sector, especially houseboat tourism - which is one of the mainstays of the sector in the state - the Tourism Department is planning to rope in a slew of celebrities in its aggressive campaign.
The presence of cricketer Kedar Jadhav will be the highlight of the houseboat rally titled ‘Back to Backwaters’ to be held in Alappuzha on Friday. Kerala Tourism director P Bala Kiran said the department has ensured the participation of Jadhav in the rally in which around 200 houseboats will be paraded and the entry will be free for all. Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli had left a note behind praising God’s Own Country on Wednesday.
Further, the presence of celebrities like south Indian actor Allu Arjun and Kerala Blasters football team members will be the attraction of the Nehru Trophy Boat race to be held on November 10, which was earlier cancelled following the flood. Though the department is trying to rope in cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar for the event, there has been no official confirmation in this regard. The Tourism Department has also decided to bring in acclaimed classical dancers from across the country at the Nishagandhi Dance Festival 2019 in January, which was earlier postponed in the wake of the flood. The department is in the process of selecting the artists. Although the department was of the opinion major events have to be cancelled in the event of the flood, now it has decided to hold these events as part of reviving the flood-hit tourism sector.
The Tourism Department has also decided to develop its infrastructure adhering to the suggestions made in the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (conducted by the United Nations. The infrastructure facilities to be set up in the tourist destinations will be eco-friendly. Under the ‘Nava Kerala’ project that aims to rebuild the state, the government has earmarked Rs 700 crore to develop the tourism sector, according to department officials.
The department has also set aside Rs 12 crore for the branding of Kerala Tourism and its campaign through various social media platforms. The successful conduct of the 10th edition of Kerala Travel Mart also brought a change in the perception among tourists about post-flood Kerala, said officials.
Flood effect
The tourism sector has suffered an infra loss of around B100 crore and revenue loss of B500 crore
Only 2 per cent of the affected buildings in tourism destinations required a major renovation
Around 15 lakh people were rendered jobless following the flood