Veli to figure in the world tourism map

The Veli tourist village, a landscaped picnic spot in Thiruvananthapuram, where the Veli Lake meets the Arabian Sea, is all set to find a place in the world tourism map. Kerala Tourism is setting up a Rs.1 crore floating restaurant with three-star facilities, introducing new boats and water scooters and renovating the garden and boat house as part of its efforts to attract high-spending foreign tourists to the tourist village. The two-storeyed floating restaurant, being constructed on traditional "nalukettu" style, can accommodate 150 diners at a time. The floating restaurant would cater to all palates from traditional to Chinese and continental. It will be thrown open to tourists by September.

Along with this, the boat club would get two inflated boats, two water scooters, five pedal boats and a 32-seater safari boat. Moreover, the pathways, fish pond and boat house would be renovated and more seats would be set up for tourists.
 

New terminal for Thiruvananthapuram International Airport

The work on the modern terminal for Thiruvananthapuram International Airport will start this year. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is to finalise the design for the proposed building. The proposed new terminal will be a three-storied building with an area of 20,000 sq. metres. It is designed by an association of three companies and is basically of tubular design with all the amenities of a world class airport. The terminal, which is estimated to cost Rs. 129 crores, would be completed in 32 months. Modern facilities such as escalators, elevators and aerobridges would be installed at the airport. The terminal would be able to handle the passengers of two AB 300s and one B 747 aircraft at a time. The annual handling capacity of the terminal would be 13.30 lakhs. The parking lot would be able to accommodate 575 cars.
On completion of the terminal, all international flights would operate from the proposed terminal and the existing international terminal would be used for domestic flight operations.
 

Kerala Tourism has chalked out a plan to set up 250 Vazhiyoram Centres along the national highways, major state highways, waterways and major roads leading to tourist destinations throughout the state. This is a major step towards making travel on highways and roads connecting important tourist destinations a totally new experience. Spread out evenly across the state, these units would ensure that travellers get a quality break that offers a mix of restaurants, souvenir shops, public telephone/Internet, toilets and car parking facilities.

The units would have three levels of categories with varying facilities. The outlets are spaced out in such a way that one centre is at least 10 to 20 km away from the other. The Vazhiyoram project would be the largest venture of its kind involving a public-private partnership. The centres would benefit from the advantage of a standardised design and uniform branding that would be promoted by the Kerala Tourism Department. All the Vazhiyoram units will be connected through internet in the second phase and on-line tourist information services will be provided connecting them to the tourism call center set up at Thiruvananthapuram.
 

A marriage in God's own Country

Locals getting married to foreign tourists coming down to God's Own Country is no more news. But foreigners who come down for leisure, ayurvedic therapies and conferences, choosing the State to get married according to local traditions, still makes news.

The beach resort of Kovalam witnessed the marriage of Tsimkin Mikhael and Stepanova Larisa from Russia in accordance with the Hindu rituals in April. The marriage was solemnized at the Kunnumpara Sree Subramania Swamy Temple at Kovalam.

Mikhael, a businessman, and Larisa were part of the 118-member contingent that came to participate in the conference organized by the Moscow-based Norbekov Instiute. Mikhael, wearing a dhoti and angavastram, and Larisa, attired in the traditional Kerala saree, traveled from the hotel to the temple in a motorcade of 60 auto-rickshaws.

All the components of a Hindu marriage such as reception and `nadaswaram' were there. The local residents, amused at first, later participated in the wedding and congratulated the Russian couple.
 

Bringing Rita back to life

In November 2003, young Rita endured a cross-country transportation when it was transported all the way down to Thiruvananthapuram Zoo for what looked like an uneventful, though captive, life.

Zoo officials patted themselves on the back for bringing this mammoth animal intact all this distance. Rita was to have been instrumental in kick-starting the zoo's rhino breeding programme.

On October 31, 2004, Rita's luck ran out. That day, she was badly gored by Ramu - one of the two male rhinos that were brought over to the zoo from Assam in 1993 - an animal prone to violent behavior. Rita was confined to her cubicle from then on, unable to get up or move about properly. She died on December 13, last year.

Now the zoo is attempting to bring Rita back to "life" - using taxidermy. As soon as the rhino died, officials at the zoo decided that her hide would be stuffed and displayed at the natural history museum. A metal cage was created to serve as the `skeleton' of the stuffed rhino. According to zoo officials, the stuffing is almost over and finishing touches are being given to the animal's eyes and nails
 

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The stuffed rhino, Rita, at the Thiruvananthapuram zoo

Blending fashion with tourism

A five-member team from the United Kingdom (U.K.)-based magazine Conde Nast Traveller, led by the magazine's style director, Enna Halie, was in Kovalam and Pulinkudi this year as part of a shoot on the beaches, houseboats and tourist attractions of the state.

"We try to couple tourism and fashion for the discerning traveler. Kerala is a favorite destination of the U.K. citizens. The state and its tourism products are popular in London. We are trying to create a fantasy for the people and to attract them here," she says. A leading model, Gisele, was flown down from Brazil for the shoot. Gisele wore Western costumes during the shoot on the private beach of Surya Samudra in Chowara, near Thiruvananthapuram, to send across the message to the tourists from the U.K. that they would be comfortable in such attire. The Italian photographer, Ferdinando Scianna, who was part of the team, says he was in Thiruvananthapuram three decades ago.

The magazine will come out with a 10-12 page feature on hotels, fashion and natural beauty of the state.

Gisele poses for a shot on Chowara beach, near Thiruvananthapuram