Kochi, May 19 : A Kerala tourism body has welcomed the new government led by V.D. Satheesan while urging it to accord higher priority to the tourism sector through faster infrastructure development, policy reforms and improved public amenities.

Flagging tourism as one of Keralaâ??s most critical economic drivers, the tourism body leaders said the sector contributes substantially to the Stateâ??s GDP, employment generation and tax revenues, benefiting stakeholders ranging from hotels and tour operators to tourist guides, taxi drivers and small businesses dependent on visitor traffic.

Kerala Travel Mart Society (KTM) Society president, Jose Pradeep, stressed that despite improvements in road connectivity across the State, the absence of clean and accessible public toilets continues to remain a major challenge, particularly along major tourist routes leading to destinations such as Munnar and Wayanad.

Tourists, he noted, are often forced to rely on hotel facilities due to the lack of public infrastructure.

Calling for a more ambitious tourism vision, KTM suggested that instead of fragmented micro-level initiatives, the government should focus on developing landmark tourism projects in each district on the lines of the Muziris Heritage Project, Jatayu Earth Centre and Sargaalaya Kerala Arts and Crafts Village.

The industry body also advocated public-private partnership models for maintaining modern public toilets, including facilities linked to petrol pumps, supermarkets and highways, in line with international tourism standards.

Another major concern flagged by the tourism industry is the prolonged delay in land conversion approvals required for hotel and tourism infrastructure projects.

According to KTM, the process can take nearly two years, discouraging private investment and delaying expansion plans.

The organisation urged the government to introduce a transparent and time-bound clearance mechanism.

KTM secretary, S Swaminathan, called for urgent attention to key tourism destinations, including the renovation of Fort Kochi Beach and the revival of proposals such as the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea' statue and the Fort Kochi-Bolgatty cable car project.

He also expressed concern over the declining standards at Kovalam Beach and worsening traffic congestion on the Wayanad Ghat roads.

The body further alleged that only a fraction of the tourism budget is directly utilised for tourism promotion, urging the government to ensure dedicated spending on global marketing, trade fairs and destination campaigns ahead of the upcoming Kerala Travel Mart scheduled for September.

/IANS