All Roads Lead to God’s Own Country
“In an astounding turnabout, Kerala has become the hub of infrastructure development. Excellent roads, bridges, flyovers and buildings have changed the face of the state. Projects once abandoned have now become a reality due to the resolute will of this government. Also, Kerala Tourism has become a major contributor to the economy and has garnered worldwide attention.”
-P. A. Mohamed Riyas
Minister for Public Works and Tourism
Kerala is undergoing an extraordinary transformation, redefining itself as a hub of infrastructure development and global connectivity. This infrastructural renaissance has not only enhanced mobility and quality of life but has also positioned Kerala as a model of determined progress. Parallel to this, Kerala Tourism has attracted worldwide attention with its unique blend of natural beauty, cultural heritage, and sustainable practices. Together, these achievements have created a dynamic foundation for Kerala’s next leap forward to Nava Keralam. After this government came to power, about Rs. 35,000-crores have been allocated for road development projects alone. More than 8200 km of roads have been renovated. KIIFB has allocated Rs. 39691.87-crores in 511 projects. In a major infrastructure triumph, the Kerala Government, under the Chief Minister’s relentless advocacy, successfully restarted the construction of National Highway 66, once abandoned by NHAI. By investing Rs 5,580-crore in land acquisition, the state expedited the process. Now 492.64 km has been completed, with every six-lane section opened to traffic. • The state government has borne the financial burden of Rs 2370.59-crore for the Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road, Ernakulam Bypass and Kollam Chenkotta Green Field roads too.
• Munnar – Bodimet and Nattukal – Thanav national highway work has also been completed.
• The Kuthiran Tunnel work, which had been dragging on for a long time, was completed.
• A project is being implemented to widen and straighten three hairpin bends on the Thamarassery Ghat road to Wayanad.
• Construction of the Anakampoyil-Kallady-Meppadi tunnel has begun. Rs. 2143.7-crore has been sanctioned.
• Out of the 1179.45 km Hill highway 473.42 km has been completed. Rs. 3867.05-crore has been sanctioned so far.
• 507.865 km of the coastal highway is being developed through KIIFB. Out of this, three reaches have been completed.
• Under the Level Cross Free Kerala project, 9 railway overbridges and 1 underpass have been completed. This is the first time in the history of Kerala that so many overbridges have been completed during the tenure of one government.
• Out of the 29522 km roads under the Public Works Department in the state, 17749.11 km have been upgraded to BM & BC standards.
• Under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative, 29 roads are being reconstructed to a high standard at a cost of Rs. 6341-crore.
• Kerala became the first state in the country to implement a design policy in the Public Works and Tourism departments. The smart roads in the capital have gained international attention.
• 19,500 km of road is being maintained through running contracts.
• The maintenance period of roads has been published and DLP boards have been made mandatory.
• The promise of completing hundred bridges within five years has been fulfilled within three years.
• Using the online room booking system in PWD rest houses, about five and a half lakh bookings and more than Rs 32 crore revenue were made possible in four years.
• 23 rest houses were renovated in tourist areas.
• Eco-friendly methods are being used in road construction. Green building construction methods are widely in use. The widespread use of differently-abled and elderly-friendly buildings is also an important step in the infrastructure sector.
• The Constituency Monitoring Team formed on a constituency basis has enabled people’s representatives to intervene to avoid obstacles in construction work.
• The pwd4u app was created to bring complaints and suggestions related to the Public Works Department to the attention of the public.
Top Tourism Destination
Kerala tourism has made a big comeback from the impact of Covid. Kerala has set an all-time record in tourist arrivals. Record number of tourists after Covid in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Huge jump in the number of domestic tourists. 2,22,46,989 domestic tourists arrived in 2024. An increase of 21.01% compared to the pre-Covid period. Record in terms of tourism income. Rs. 45,053.61 crore income in 2024. Projects to enhance infrastructure have been implemented in major beach destinations. Various projects are being implemented in Kovalam, Varkala, Kollam, Alappuzha, Fort Kochi, Vypin, Beypore, Chaliyam, Kappad, Muzhappilangad and Bekal. Azhikode Chaal Beach and Kozhikode Kappad Beach have been awarded the Blue Flag status.
Adventure Tourism
Adventure Park in Vagamon Glass bridges in Vagamon and Akkulam International kayaking competition called the Malabar River Festival held in the Chali River and Iruvazhinjhi River. First phase of the Thusharagiri Kayaking Academy completed International Surfing Festival held in Varkala International Paragliding Festival held in Vagamon Project to map trekking and hiking trails has begun. First project of Cine Tourism started near the Kireedam Bridge. The 30th anniversary of the shooting of the Bombay film organised. About 200 heritage centres developed under various projects. 32 Muziris Heritage projects completed. Alappuzha Heritage Project and Thalassery Heritage Project being implemented About 50 projects approved in the Destination Challenge. A special centre set up in Thiruvananthapuram to promote destination weddings. The MICE & Destination Wedding International Conclave was organised. Caravan tourism promotes safe travel to unexplored destinations. Special focus on heli tourism and cruise tourism. The test flight conducted as part of the seaplane project is a new hope in the tourism sector. Biodiversity circuit connecting Ashtamudi Lake, Monroe island, Kottarakkara, Muttara Maruthimala, Jatayupara, Thenmala and Achankovil areas in Kollam district is being formed. Malabar Literary Circuit connects the birth places of the giants of the literary world. Yanam, first travelling literary gathering platform in the country, held at Varkala.
Kerala has made a big leap in the field of responsible tourism. Responsible tourism strengthens the potential of village tourism, cultural tourism, festival tourism, farm/agri tourism, heritage tourism, food tourism etc. Projects like Model Responsible Tourism Centre, Pepper Tourism-2025, Street and Agritourism Network are being implemented, and the potential of souvenir and handicraft making is also being effectively utilised. The biggest advantage of responsible tourism is the participation of women in it. As a continuation of this, a women-friendly tourism project is also being formulated and implemented. A special network is being formed by including women entrepreneurs. As part of this, a scheme of providing loans with interest concession is being implemented. A scheme of providing special subsidy to the beneficiaries is also being implemented. The conclave organized as part of women-friendly tourism has gained international fame. 52,344 direct beneficiaries in 25,188 registered units under the RT scheme. Out of which 17632 (70%) units owned or run by women. Various festive programs were also organized to attract tourists to the state. Onam was celebrated extensively. Special illuminations were organized in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode to welcome the New Year. Beypore International Water Fest also gained international attention. The Champions Boat League reached its fifth successful edition.
The Champions Boat League was also extended to Malabar. The Kochi Muziris Biennale was organised as a boost to cultural heritage tourism. Each edition of the Biennale has become an attraction for foreign tourists. Many of the projects presented at the Tourism Investors Meet have reached the work stage. A facilitation centre was also made possible to ensure assistance to investors. For the first time since 2010, KTDC made a net profit during this government. KTDC has made a big comeback from the huge losses during the Covid period. The construction of the new KTDC resort in Muzhappilangad is in the final stages. A new convention centre has been built at the KTDC Waterscape Resort in Kumarakom. It hosted the G-20. The Kerala Travel Mart received a great response. Many people, including foreign buyers, participated in the Travel Mart held in Kochi. In the wake of the Mundakai-Churalmala disaster, a campaign called Ente Keralam Enum Sundaram was launched to overcome the setbacks faced by the tourism sector. National-level vloggers were brought to Wayanad and prepared for the campaign.