Tourism in coastal region to get a big boost, says Kota

Fisheries, Port and Inland Transport and District In-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary said that the government is likely to release Rs 500 crore for the revival of the tourism sector in the state.

He was speaking at World Tourism Day 2019 programme organised jointly by the district administration, Department of Tourism, Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and Dakshina Kannada Hotel and Restaurants’ Association at the Town Hall on Friday.

He said, “The government has set up a committee, headed by Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty, to formulate programmes to promote Karnataka tourism.”

The minister said the coastal region, with ample opportunities for tourism, is expected to get a boost.

He said the Tourism Department has chalked out a programme for setting up boat houses in the region. Major thrust will be on temple tourism in the coastal region, he said and added that the cultural and historical aspects of tourism need to be explored in the coastal region.

Tourism Department assistant director Dr Uday Shetty said that three out of the six boat houses, sanctioned to Dakshina Kannada district, are operational. There are plans to start cruise restaurants on river banks, he added.

Shetty said a proposal for setting up floating jetties has been submitted to the government. The department has utilised Rs 25 crore grants in the past five years. Four hundred tourist taxis have been given to youth in the last 10 years, he said.

Zilla Panchayat president Meenakshi Shanthigodu said the Tourism Department should construct toilets for women at tourist destinations like beaches.

MLC Ivan D’Souza urged the government to establish Coastal Tourism Corporation for the promotion of tourism in the region. The government grants should be effectively utilised by the department to provide basic facilities at the tourist spots, he added.

Additional Deputy Commissioner M J Roopa said that the district administration and the Tourism Department will take steps to popularise the heritage spots in the district.

Mangalore South MLA
D Vedavyas Kamath presided over the programme. Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner Ajith Kumar Hegde, Dakshina Kannada Hotel and Restaurants’ Association President Kudpi Jagadish Shenoy and KCCI president Isaac Vaz were present.