Bekal, May 11: The largely unexplored localities around the famed Bekal Fort in the district is all set to emerge as a major global tourism destination within a few years, if the words of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy are any indication.
“Bekal with its historic splendour and picturesque locality would be turned into yet another major tourist destination in the State where the Responsible Tourism initiative will be implemented,” he said inaugurating the 'Know Bekal' campaign, a three-day familiarisation campaign organised for tourism industry stakeholders at the Taj Hotel, near Bekal.
“Where else can one find beaches, backwaters and hills all within a few kilo metre radius,” asked the Chief Minister, adding that the ongoing infrastructure developmental projects around the area would be speeded up.
Over the last five years, Kerala has seen a rise in global tourist arrival by a whopping 71 per cent and domestic arrival by 49 per cent. The domestic tourist arrival to Malabar registered a growth of 31 per cent with 23.4 lakh domestic tourists visiting the region between 2005 and 2010.
During the period, the international tourist arrival saw a 123 per cent increase, with 41,342 foreigners visiting Malabar.
Elaborating on the significance of the upcoming Kannur airport in promoting tourism in north Kerala, he said the work on the runway would begin this fiscal. A high-level meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday had discussed the development of the Karipur airport in Kozhikode.
The work on an airstrip at Periya in the district to facilitate landing of small aircraft would also be taken up shortly, he said.
The Chief Minister said that efforts would be made to improve the basic infrastructure facilities in the coastal regions of the State.
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