Tourism News

Pay and use toilets will be constructed by the Department of Tourism at Thiruvananthapuram Central, Kollam, Kottarakkara, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Guruvayoor and Kannur Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus stations at a cost of Rs. 111.657 lakhs as part of the drive to provide basic amenities to the travelling public and tourists.

A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed today between the Tourism Secretary, Mr. T. Balakrishnan and the Principal Secretary, Transport, Mr. S. Chandrasekharan Nair, in the presence of the Tourism Minister Prof. K. V. Thomas, and the Transport minister, Mr. K. B. Ganesh Kumar.

Each toilet block to be constructed by the department with the financial assistance of the Union Government will have separate toilets and urinals for men and women, a wash area, bathrooms, changing rooms, cloak rooms and a multipurpose stall and caretaker?s room. The KSRTC will provide infrastructure facilities like land, water and electricity ad and will operate them.

Of the total project cost, the department share will be Rs. 11.657 lakhs. The construction of the toilet blocks will begin at Kottarakkara on December 19. The construction of these blocks will be completed within a year. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ganesh Kumar urged the officials to complete the works of the toilet blocks before March next year.

Earlier, Prof. Thomas inaugurated the marketing of Kerala Tourism on the Net which is focussed on the multiple and varied tourism schemes of the State for discerning travellers. With this, Kerala Tourism will be the first Tourism Department in the country to market itself using the Net. The first phase of the activity will be from December to March across high traffic leisure and business sites and also on focussed travel sites. The campaign will be monitored on a daily basis and all efforts will be taken to make it efficient. The first level of activity will focus on the domestic market and international market will be on focus in Phase II.

The minister said the shortcomings in the newly launched toll free phone service had come to the notice of the department. He said correct information is being provided to those calling the service and efforts are being made to track down nuisance calls.

The minister also released ?A heritage guide to Kerala? written by Ms. Heta Pandit, noted architectural historian, and featuring 1000 heritage properties and sites in six districts of  Kerala, by handing over a copy to Mr. Ganesh Kumar.

Ms. Heta Pandit, KSRTC MD Mr. Appukkuttan Nair, the Director of tourism, Mr. Alkesh Kumar Sharma and KTDC MD, Dr. K. Elangovan spoke at the function.