Kerala Tourism Development Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) is a public sector undertaking
that conducts and regulates the tourism activities of the India
n state of Kerala
. The KTDC is headquartered at Thiruvanathapuram and has offices across all the districts of Kerala. The agency also operates hotels, resorts, and tourist rest houses in key locations in the state. Its official slogan is "Official host to God's own country." It is one of the most profitable ventures of the Kerala government.
's first prince: H.H. Col. Goda Varma Raja (husband of H.H. The Queen of Travancore) started Kerala Tours Limited to popularize key tourist locations in Travancore Kingdom. When Travancore merged with India, Kerala Tours Limited became a private entity under the Travancore royal family. For more than 20 years since Independence, Kerala trend to ignore tourism as a key industry, leaving KTL and other private players to lead the role. In the 1960s, KTL struck gold, by collaborating with Thomas Cook
and started popularizing Kovalam
in western countries which started the advent of hippie culture in Kovalam Beach. The strong inflow of tourists into Kovalam, started Kerala government to consider tourism as a key industry. Though it tried to nationalize Kerala Tours Limited, it soon fell into legal issues. This resulted in the government to think starting a new entity known as Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) IN 1966.
Started as department, KTDC became a separate commercial entity by the 1970s. Several premium guest houses of Kerala Government were identified and converted into hotel brands, making strong profits of organization.
Public sector undertakings in Kerala
Public sector undertakings in Kerala are of two types, public sector units in which majority shares are owned by Union Government and public sector units in which majority shares are owned by State Government. Public sector undertakings in Kerala , i.e. enterprises in which majority shareholder is...
that conducts and regulates the tourism activities of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The KTDC is headquartered at Thiruvanathapuram and has offices across all the districts of Kerala. The agency also operates hotels, resorts, and tourist rest houses in key locations in the state. Its official slogan is "Official host to God's own country." It is one of the most profitable ventures of the Kerala government.
History
Kerala was a relatively unknown state among tourist circles until the early 1960s. The first initiative to popularize Kerala as a tourist destination was undertaken by TravancoreTravancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
's first prince: H.H. Col. Goda Varma Raja (husband of H.H. The Queen of Travancore) started Kerala Tours Limited to popularize key tourist locations in Travancore Kingdom. When Travancore merged with India, Kerala Tours Limited became a private entity under the Travancore royal family. For more than 20 years since Independence, Kerala trend to ignore tourism as a key industry, leaving KTL and other private players to lead the role. In the 1960s, KTL struck gold, by collaborating with Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook Group
Thomas Cook Group plc is a travel company created on 19 June, 2007 by the merger of Thomas Cook AG and MyTravel Group plc. At flotation on the London Stock Exchange 52% of the shares in the new company were held by the German mail order and department store corporation Arcandor and 48% owned by...
and started popularizing Kovalam
Kovalam
Kovalam is a beach town on the Arabian Sea in Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala, India. It is located around 13 km from the down town of Trivandrum.-Etymology:...
in western countries which started the advent of hippie culture in Kovalam Beach. The strong inflow of tourists into Kovalam, started Kerala government to consider tourism as a key industry. Though it tried to nationalize Kerala Tours Limited, it soon fell into legal issues. This resulted in the government to think starting a new entity known as Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) IN 1966.
Started as department, KTDC became a separate commercial entity by the 1970s. Several premium guest houses of Kerala Government were identified and converted into hotel brands, making strong profits of organization.
Objectives
- To promote Kerala as a leading tourist destination
- To identify key tourist destinations within Kerala and promote it outside
- To provide auxiliary support in developing key tourist destinations
- To provide highest quality hospitality services to tourists
- To act as one-source destination for various informations regarding tourist destinations and other related informations.
- To ensure higher returns to government, through financial and social viable projects, and thereby provide employment
Hotels and motels
Over years, KTDC emerged itself as a key hospitality player with more than 40 properties ranging from heritage five-star resorts to budget accommodation. KTDC is one of the few Indian government-owned hotel chains that have clearly marketed with strong branding and aggressive promotions. KTDC manages its properties under four brandsPremium range
KTDC has two resorts and six five- and four-star hotels. All properties in the premium range are individually branded and offers highest sense of luxury hospitality.- Bolgatty Island ResortBolgatty PalaceBuilt by the Dutch in India, Bolgatty Palace is located on the island popularly known as Bolghatty Island in Kochi, Kerala. One of the oldest existing Dutch palaces outside Holland, this quaint mansion, built in 1744, by Dutch traders, was later extended and gardens were landscaped around it...
, which houses the famous Bolgatty PalaceBolgatty PalaceBuilt by the Dutch in India, Bolgatty Palace is located on the island popularly known as Bolghatty Island in Kochi, Kerala. One of the oldest existing Dutch palaces outside Holland, this quaint mansion, built in 1744, by Dutch traders, was later extended and gardens were landscaped around it...
, a heritage property is the largest Dutch palace outside the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The resort has another property, branded as Island Resort, which has a nine-course golf club, horsing tracks and all other premium facilities. - Marina HouseKochi MarinaThe Kochi International Marina is a marina in the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is located in the eastern coast of the Bolgatty Island , in the premises of the Bolgatty Palace, a 'heritage hotel'.The Kochi Marina is the only marina in India. It is owned by the Kerala Tourism...
: KTDC manages India's first marinaMarinaA marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
which includes a 24-room premium hotel, Marina House, located in Bolgatty Island (West), KochiKochi-Places:* Kochi, a city in the state of Kerala, India, formerly known as Cochin* Kingdom of Cochin, a former feudal city-state on Malabar Coast, India** Fort Kochi, one of the three main urban components which constitute the present day city of Kochi, Kerala, India...
. - Mascot Hotel Trivandrum, located in state capital ThiruvananthapuramThiruvananthapuramThiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
is a heritage property built in 1902 which used to accommodate Travancore Army officials and Army Center until 1949.
- Lake Palace ("be part of a royal legacy"), a former summer palace of the King of Travancore, is on an island in the middle of the Periyar Lake — 20 minutes by boat from the mainland. Located inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve, this is where the British viceroys and governor-generals used to take time off to listen to the call of the wild. This lakeside jungle resort with six rooms and antique interiors within the Periyar Tiger Reserve is ideal for guests to watch elephant herds playing by the lakeside or take a trek across the jungle in the trail of the majestic tiger. Life couldn’t get any more royal than this.
- Arya Nivas ThekkadyThekkadyThekkady is the location of the Periyar National Park, which is an important tourist attraction in the Kerala state of India.- Overview :...
built within Periyar National Park is a five-star jungle lodge which hosted several leading international personalities. - Waterscapes KumarakomKumarakomKumarakom is a popular tourism destination located near the city of Kottayam , in Kerala, India, famous for its backwater tourism. It is set in the backdrop of the Vembanad Lake which is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Kerala.-Environment:...
is a unique lake cottage suites built over Vembanadu Lake in the internationally acclaimed tourist destination: Kumarakom. - Samudra Beach KovalamKovalamKovalam is a beach town on the Arabian Sea in Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala, India. It is located around 13 km from the down town of Trivandrum.-Etymology:...
, a five-star property in Kovalam Beach - Tea Country MunnarMunnarMunnar is one of the most popular hill station in Kerala and in southern India. Munnar is located on the Western Ghats, situated in the Idukki district....
, a heritage colonial tea estate bungalow refurnished as a four-star hotel
Value plus
KTDC has three-star value plus range hotels across five districts of Kerala. Most of hotels are designed to cater business and upper-segment family crowds. Each value plus hotel property is themed around its location.- Golden Peak PonmudiPonmudiPonmudi is a hillstation in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala in South India. Its located 61 km north-east of Trivandrum city at an altitude of 1100 m. It is a part of the Western Ghats mountain range that runs parallel to the Arabian Sea.-Tourism:Ponmudi is connected to...
: Honeymoon Hotel - Chitaram ThiruvananthapuramThiruvananthapuramThiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
: City Business Hotel - Nandhanam GuruvayurGuruvayurGuruvayur is a municipal town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the famous Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, the fourth biggest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees per day.-History:Guruvayur, according to the legends may be 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur...
: Pilgrim Hotel - Periyar House ThekkadyThekkadyThekkady is the location of the Periyar National Park, which is an important tourist attraction in the Kerala state of India.- Overview :...
: Jungle Safari Lodge - Garden House MalampuzhaMalampuzhaMalampuzha is a mini hydoro-electric project built across Malampuzha river in Palakkad district of Kerala, South India. It is also the biggest irrigation project in Kerala with a large network of canal systems...
: Picnic Hotel - Peppergrove Wayanad: Spice Garden Hotel