KOCHI: Feel free to be a guest at PWD rest houses. Taking into account their potential in furthering tourism, the state government, in 2021, decided to make these facilities accessible to all. And the move has proved to be the right one, vouch industry experts. Since the initiative’s launch, PWD rest houses have generated over Rs 19 crore in revenue. It seems the ‘people’s rest houses’ have come to stay!
With many of the rest houses being renovated and new facilities being added, the government is keen to expand the concept. “A rest house for women is coming up in Thiruvananthapuram,” Minister for Public Works and Tourism P A Mohamed Riyas told TNIE.
Opening up PWD rest houses to the public, by facilitating online bookings, has radically altered the state’s domestic hospitality sector, according to the minister. “With 156 rest houses and 1,200 plus rooms available at a budget price to the public, the people’s rest house network is providing a major fillip to the travel and hospitality sector,” he added.
“These facilities are safe as they have been brought under CCTV surveillance, which is monitored through a centralised system,” an official with the tourism department said.
Speaking about the big change that these facilities have enabled, Jose Dominic, tourism expert and former chairman of the CGH Group says, “These rest houses can be the backbone of Kerala tourism. Opening them up to the general public has been a milestone for the state’s tourism sector. These buildings, which were otherwise gathering rot and only catering to officials, could not have it better.
“Take for instance the Fort Kochi rest house. The building has heritage value and is conveniently located for tourists interested in sightseeing,” he added.
According to Dominic, these rest houses should be modelled on the tourist bungalows of yore. “The bungalows provided tourists with well-maintained and safe accommodation. If the rest houses are managed reasonably well they will prove to beneficial for not only budget tourists but also foreign tourists and youth, who have now been bitten by the travel bug.”
Fort Kochi facility reopening
The renovated rest house buildings in Fort Kochi will be inaugurated and opened for booking on Saturday by the tourism minister.
Explaining the work carried out at the facility, an official said, “The Fort Kochi rest house has two buildings, with the oldest one constructed in 1962. The second building, built in 2006, had five rooms, a reception area and small conference hall in use. Following renovation, this building has four AC and one non-AC rooms. All the rotting woodwork on the ceiling of the old building has been replaced with steel and roofing tiles.”