Our Bureau

Kochi , June 12

Kerala Tourism needs to adapt to the changes in the market quickly and exploit new vistas and avenues for growth, Mr Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the State Tourism Minister, has said.

For this, the State needs to tap new markets, develop new products and aggressively promote existing ones such as health tourism, monsoon tourism, plantation tourism, farm stays and adventure tourism in a big way, the Minister said while addressing the Tourism Stakeholders Meet here on Monday.

"We need to realise that we have so far utilised only a fraction of the potential. There is more scope for growth. Kerala needs to leverage its brand equity as a successful tourism destination and attract more investments into the tourism sector," he said.

Focus on Malabar

A key focus area, he said, could be the naturally and culturally rich Malabar. This would happen only if an enabling environment was created to unleash the potential of the entrepreneurs.

The Minister also invited all entrepreneurs within the State and outside to come, invest and be a part of Kerala Tourism's success story.

Health tourism

Mr Balakrishnan said Kerala would emerge as one of the top five health tourism destinations of the world over the next five years. The State has world-class medical infrastructure and can provide quality health care at about 10 per cent of the cost of the same procedure in the US or the UK. Even on the domestic front, he pointed out that the cost of treatment in the State would only be about 60 per cent as compared to the cost in the metros such as Mumbai, Delhi etc.

Kerala has today emerged as one of the most sought after tourist spots in the world. And as a destination that successfully utilised its tourism potential, it has become a model for the rest of the country. The success of Kerala Tourism clearly rests on its unique public-private partnership, with the Government perfecting its role as a facilitator and catalyst, he added.

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