Kochi, Sep 24 Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Thursday announced plans to set up a cruise terminal in north Keralam, an oceanarium in Kochi and permanent venues for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale and International Film Festival as part of a series of tourism projects envisaged by the government.
Speaking after inaugurating the three-day Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) here, Satheesan said tourism would be a major component of the government’s development plans and stressed the need to showcase the state’s biodiversity, maritime history, cultural legacy and other attractions to the world.
“We have to showcase what Keralam is to the world. This is a special world. You have to see the Western Ghats. You have to see the biodiversity in the Western Ghats. We have to promote forest tourism, jungle lodges, trekking, and everything,” he said.
Satheesan said the government wanted to integrate the state’s ports and develop coastal tourism while reducing dependence on road transport.
“Keralam has two international seaports, one container terminal, and 18 mini ports, and 600 km coastline. We want to integrate all the ports and make entire Keralam into a port city,” he said.
On cruise tourism, Satheesan said permission had been given to Cochin Port to start a cruise terminal and another terminal would be developed on the Kozhikode side.
“Vizhinjam is there. I’m very happy to inform you that there are many companies coming to Keralam to start these cruise ships, vessels. Kochi to Dubai, Kochi to Goa, Kochi to Maldives, Kochi to Sri Lanka, many places. We want to start cruise vessels from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram,” he said.
In the second phase, the government planned to link the cruise programme with the state’s 44 rivers and introduce river cruises, he said.
Satheesan also announced plans to develop Keralam as an aviation hub, noting that the state has four international airports in close proximity.
He said an international global convention centre near Kochi airport was also being developed and described it as a project planned to be more modern than the global convention centre at Changi Airport in Singapore.
Satheesan also announced plans to establish an oceanarium in Kochi.
He said the government also planned to establish an international maritime museum in Kochi, highlighting the state’s maritime history and the ancient Muziris port.
“2,000 years back, we had a wonderful seaport, Muziris, near to Kochi. We are now conducting archaeological excavations there. We have got many remains, many coins, symbols of many civilisations,” he said.
Satheesan said the government had also declared a film city near Kochi and planned a cultural park in Kozhikode in the name of writer M T Vasudevan Nair.
He also announced plans to shift the Thiruvananthapuram zoo to a location near the forest, saying it was inappropriate to keep animals in an urban setting.
“I want to shift the museum to the forest side because it is a cruelty to animals in the city. They have to be shifted to their own habitat, to the borders of the forest,” he said.
He said the existing site would be developed as a public square, similar to Madison Square and Prague Square.
Satheesan said the government wanted tourists visiting Keralam to spend at least seven days in the state by developing multiple destination points.
He said foreign tourist visits to Keralam stood at nearly 8.2 lakh in 2025, while domestic tourist visits crossed 25 million.
“Our target for the next years is not 8 lakh, 5 million. That is our target. Within three years, we have to increase the foreign tourists from 8 lakh to 5 million,” he said.
He said the government also aimed to increase domestic tourist visits from 25 million to 100 million.
On cultural tourism, Satheesan said permanent venues would be developed for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale and the International Film Festival, with the government planning to acquire land and property for the purpose.
“Kochi is the place for Biennale, and Thiruvananthapuram is the place for International Film Festival. We are planning for permanent places for film festival and for Kochi Biennale,” he said.
He said the government planned to develop destination points across the state and use tourism projects to stimulate the economy.
Tourism Minister P C Vishnunadh said travellers were increasingly looking for “meaning, connection, and discovery” and wanted to experience destinations rather than merely visit them.
He said Keralam could offer a combination of Ayurveda-led wellness, cuisine, village life, forests, waterways, heritage, contemporary culture, adventure, art and literature.
Vishnunadh said foreign tourist visits to Keralam grew 11.33 per cent in 2025 compared to the previous year, while domestic tourist visits increased 12.64 per cent.
He said the government was planning a “Be a Malayali for a Day” initiative to encourage travellers to experience Keralam from within by sharing its food, traditions, culture and community life.
The minister said the United Kingdom, the United States, Oman, Germany and France were the five leading source markets for foreign tourist visits to Keralam in 2025, accounting for 14.86 per cent, 13.9 per cent, 7.92 per cent, 5.98 per cent and 5.72 per cent, respectively.
He said responsible tourism and destination diversification were also important components of the government’s tourism vision.
Excise Minister M Liju also spoke at the event.
(PTI News)
