State Guest Houses Contribute to Tourism Immensely: Minister Mohamed Riyas

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Development of state guest houses and rest houses is a top priority of the government as that significantly helps growth of tourism by ensuring comfortable accommodation for tourists in prime destinations, Minister for Tourism and Public Works PA Mohamed Riyas said today.

The Minister was inaugurating the new four-storey government guest house at Ponmudi, one of Kerala’s prime hill stations.

“Offering world class lodging facilities for tourists is vital for the development of tourism. This is why the government took up renovation and development of guest houses and rest houses on a priority basis with the aim of elevating the tourism experience of our state”, Riyas pointed out.

Apart from Ponmudi, the government has been focusing on renovating the guest houses and PWD rest houses in Guruvayoor, Kanyakumari, Wayanad, Aluva, Munnar and Calicut, which are some of the prime locations marked by heavy tourist footfall, he said.

This project is especially important since there has been a massive surge in tourist inflow to the state in recent years, which rose to a record level in 2024. This trend is expected to increase this year also, he added.

Ponmudi has always been an important destination that attracts both domestic and international tourists on account of its unparallelled scenic charm. A fully- equipped guest house in Ponmudi was one of the top priorities of Tourism Department. The new guest house, which has all facilities for a pleasant stay, will further enhance the scope of Ponmudi as a prime hill station, the Minister added.

Presiding over the function, Vamanapuram MLA DK Murali said the new guest house will help increase inflow of tourists to Ponmudi as it addresses one of the key requirements of the destination.

The well-equipped government guest house that boasts of whole lot of features needed for a pleasant stay will elevate the experience to tourists coming to this beautiful hill station, Tourism Director Sikha Surendran said.

District Panchayath President D Suresh Kumar, Vamanapuram Block Panchayath President G Komalam, Peringamala Grama Panchayath President Shinu Madathara and other elected representatives attended the function.

The new guest house in Ponmudi is a four-storied 2590 sq mt block. It has 22 air-conditioned rooms including six suit rooms. The building also has an air-conditioned conference hall and two AC dining halls.

The property also has a spacious vehicle parking lot, modern kitchen and rooms for drivers of tourist vehicles.