Mangaluru: Calling for a coordinated and long-term approach to unlocking the tourism and commercial potential of Karnataka’s coastline, NRI entrepreneur Ronald Colaco has proposed the formation of a high-level Karnataka Coastal Tourism and Commercial Development Task Force.

Colaco has suggested that the proposed task force prepare a comprehensive 20 to 25-year integrated master plan covering Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada, with the aim of giving the state’s coastal region a clear development roadmap rather than allowing projects to emerge in isolation.

In a proposal submitted on Friday to Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Tourism Minister K J George and other members of the state Cabinet, Colaco recommended that the task force consist of 12 to 15 experts with experience in tourism and related fields.

The proposed body, he said, could examine the coastline as an integrated tourism and economic region and identify locations best suited for different types of development based on their natural, environmental and commercial potential.

The plan envisages designated zones for a wide range of tourism and allied activities, including beach tourism, destination resorts, convention centres, wellness and medical tourism, marinas, waterfront recreation, water sports, cultural tourism and eco-tourism.

It also proposes exploring opportunities for waterfront promenades, tourism villages, recreational boating, cruise-related infrastructure and coastal entertainment districts, alongside logistics and fisheries-related infrastructure.

According to the proposal, a long-term master plan could help avoid uncoordinated development and instead create a framework in which individual projects complement one another and contribute to a broader coastal development strategy.

The proposed task force could assess the tourism potential of different stretches of the coast, identify suitable locations for specific activities and recommend infrastructure and connectivity requirements needed to support them.

Colaco’s proposal comes amid growing interest in developing Karnataka’s coastal belt as a major tourism and commercial destination. The three districts together offer a combination of beaches, ports, rivers, backwaters, forests, cultural attractions and other natural assets that could support a diversified tourism economy.

Rather than focusing only on conventional beach tourism, the proposed strategy seeks to explore a broader coastal economy encompassing leisure, wellness, business events, recreation, marine activities, culture and supporting commercial infrastructure.

The proposed 20–25-year vision would also provide a framework for attracting private investment while ensuring that development across the three coastal districts follows a coordinated strategy, rather than being driven solely by individual projects.

Colaco has urged the state government to consider the proposal and initiate steps towards creating the proposed task force and preparing the integrated coastal development master plan.