Thiruvananthapuram: Treasury Secretary Thomas Isaac has said that measures will be taken to revitalize the tourism sector hard hit by the pandemic. For this purpose, tourism companies have already been granted a loan with reduced interest rates and a loan to buy houseboats.

During the submission of the budget, the minister announced that Rs 35 cr will be sanctioned to provide a salary to KTDC employees.

In an important step, the finance minister made the decision to set up a welfare committee for tourism workers.

The state government initiated measures to revitalize the tourism sector in the 2021/22 financial year. The tourism marketing wing works effectively for this purpose. Rs 25 cr will be allocated to renovate Kerala’s tourism sector, Thomas Isaac said.

The tourism sector has made the Heritage-Spice Route tourism project a top priority. In addition to the heritage projects of Muziris Alappuzha-Thalassery, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode will be included in the project.

The state budget has reserved Rs 40 cr for these projects. A special fund of 10 rupees is being made available for the Thiruvananthapuram Heritage project.

In addition to promoting tourism, the projects aim to create an opportunity for informal education and make everyone aware of Kerala’s heritage. Therefore, opportunities are created for children to take a tour to the Muziris project site. Rs 5 cr has been reserved for such study trips, the minister announced.

The state government is also considering resuming train services to Munnar. A discussion was held with the owners of the Tata estate and action was taken to acquire land for the railroad works.

Thomas Isaac also announced that the budget will reserve Rs 117 cr for the infrastructure development of the current tourist destinations.

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