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The people of Kerala’s capital, Thiruvananthapuram will soon get to see a new face of their favourite tourism hotspots in the city, as the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, against the backdrop of their 1000 day celebrations, has announced projects for promoting tourism in the city.
Two popular spots in the district that are expected to get a facelift are the Veli tourist village, run by the state tourism department and the popular Mascot Hotel, run by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC).
Veli tourist village
Speaking to TNM, P Balakiran IAS, the Director of Tourism said that the Veli tourist village is set to witness six major projects in what can be said to be a grand makeover of the place, with a budget of Rs 35 crore. These projects were inaugurated on Tuesday by the state’s Minister for Tourism, Kadakampally Surendran.
“One among the six projects that is being planned in the tourist village is a miniature train service around the village, which both children and adults can use to catch a glimpse of the entire tourist village,” said Balakiran. He said that this project is estimated to cost around Rs 9 crore. The other project that is being planned in Veli is an urban park, where visitors can come and relax. This project is estimated to cost Rs 4.99 crore.
Veli tourist village, for years has been one of the most popular spots for tourists visiting the city. One of the major attractions of this place is the meeting point of the sea and the lake. Though not as crowded as the other beaches in the district like Kovalam and Shanghumugham, Veli is still a popular hangout spot for tourists as well as locals of the district.
TNM got in touch with Minister Kadakampally Surendran who said that the tourism department is also planning on developing the lake shore in Veli which is estimated to cost around Rs 4.76 crore. “We will also be spending close to Rs 10 crore to construct a convention centre of 25,000 square feet, which is going to be one of the major projects in Veli,” he said.
Balakiran said that a multipurpose tourist facilitation centre is also part of the six projects coming up in Veli. “We will also be renovating the existing swimming pool and the park here,” he added.
Mascot hotel
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday inaugurated the 100-year anniversary of the Mascot Hotel, which is the flagship property of the KTDC and also a Rs 25 crore project which is to be used for the restoration of the iconic hotel’s heritage.
As part of the 100-year anniversary of the iconic hotel in the city, the CM inaugurated a month-long exhibition that depicts the Mascot hotel over the last 100 years.
Kadakampally Surendran, in a Facebook post on Thursday said that adding to the sweetness of the 100 years celebration of the hotel is the fact that it is also the first KTDC-run hotel to bag a 5 star status.
“During the rule of the Travancore Royal family, the area where the Mascot hotel is located used to be the camp of the Travancore army. Following that, from 1914 to 1918, the building became a centre for British army officials during the first World war,” Kadakampally stated, recalling some moments from the past. He went on to state that it was from 1919 onwards that the Travancore royal family began to use the hotel to welcome their guests.
The Minister said that the work to revamp the Mascot hotel has begun as 36 rooms in the hotel have already been renovated.
Kadakampally Surendran in his statement on Thursday also emphasised on the need to adopt quality service and new marketing strategies in order to compete with other private hotels in the hospitality sector.
It’s not just in Veli and Mascot hotel, but the Minister also said that the Kerala government is planning to implement major tourism development projects throughout the state. Kadakampally said that the state tourism department, during these 1000 days, has planned for projects with Rs 125 crore set aside for Thiruvananthapuram district.