Tourism News

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

V. Vigneshwari IAS takes charge as KTDC MD

Ms V. Vigneshwari IAS has taken charge as the Managing Director of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC), replacing Mr V. R. Krishna Teja IAS.

Ms Vigneshwari, now the Director of Collegiate Education, is a Kerala Cadre IAS officer of 2015 batch.

Mr Teja’s two-year tenure as the KTDC’s executive head was marked by a string of initiatives that saw the state-owned hospitality major taking major strides, despite the pandemic-induced challenges. It was under Mr Teja that the KTDC introduced the country’s first quarantine package as a timely boost to the travel sector. During his tenure, the KTDC achieved a profit of Rs 2.70 crores, despite the pandemic-caused setback to tourism the world over.

Mr Teja also diversified the portfolio of the KTDC with the launch of notable projects such as Ripple Land in Alappuzha, Loom Land in Kannur, Folk Land in Mangattuparamba and Flotilla, the floating restaurant at Veli.

In June last year, the KTDC launched the innovative In-Car Dining for serving travellers food inside their vehicles, allaying health risks of eating in public places when the pandemic was at its peak. The corporation signed marketing pacts for regular business with the premier online travel portal Makemytrip.com and the IRCTC, the largest PSU in the tourism sector. 

Under the leadership of Mr Teja, the KTDC completed the renovation work of Chaithram hotel in Thiruvananthapuram; Barracks, the rooftop restaurant at Mascot Hotel and the KTDC's Munnar Tea County resort in Idukki district.

The KTDC, during Mr Teja’s stint, was able to resolve the technical hiccups in its star beach hotel project at Kozhikode. Construction work on the KTDC's five-star beach project at Muzhappilangad near Kannur was also commenced during his tenure and a 30-room hotel will soon be opened at Kanyakumari.  

Thanking his colleagues for their cooperation, Mr Teja recalled the positive attitude of the managers, unit officers, employees and the union leadership in taking the KTDC to new heights despite the hard times.