Thursday, June 17, 2010

Kerala tourism gets a boost

Kochi International Marina, the first of its kind in India, has all necessary ingredients to redefine the travel and tourism sector of the state, writes T. Satisan

The Kochi International Marina, a full-fledged marina of international standards, was inaugurated by Defence Minister AK Antony on April 24. The ambitious project of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) is located on the eastern coast of Bolgatty Island in the Bolgatty Palace. It was built at a cost of Rs 8.21 crore with a Central assistance of Rs four crore. Designed and developed by Ocean Blue Marinas, it can berth 34 yachts at a time. The number may be increased to 50 in the second phase. The marina can accommodate sailors from across the world and seems to be an ideal spot for yachts from the West. Every boat can avail the power supply and all other necessary requirements at the quay itself. The Marina House, a part of the project, has 24 deluxe rooms including four suites, a recreation centre, a cafeteria and a health club besides a golf course. It will be run by Tourists Resorts Kerala Limited, a subsidiary of KTDC.

The requirement of a marina in Kochi was felt by all when the famous Volvo Ocean Race to India had a stopover in Kochi last year. That time it was realised that Kochi does not even have minimal facilities to host any big event. So the project, that was frozen for sometime, was completed on a war footing within two years. Now KTDC expects huge profits from this new installation. Fifty per cent of the proceeds are expected to go to the kitty of KTDC.

The tourism department of government of Kerala and Kerala Tourism Development Corporation expect handsome revenues from the functioning of marina. In the light of the tremendous business potential of Kochi, this expectation is a realistic calculation. The revenue will definitely help the tourism department and Kerala Tourism Development Corporation to plan many such revenue generating schemes.

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Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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