There's no room for tourists in Kerala

Kochi: Kerala, wooing tourists as a "must see destination", faces shortage of rooms.

The state has been facing a shortage of over 1,000 rooms per annum with an estimated 13 per cent annual increase in tourist inflow into Kerala, CEO of the CGH Group of Hotels and President of the ongoing Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) Jose Dominic, said.

During the first six months of this year, the state had witnessed 34 per cent growth in tourism. In the next six months, a similar growth was not possible due to capacity limitations, Dominic said. "Any increase is possible only if there is growth in capacity," he said.

In an effort at meeting this severe shortage, Kerala tourism was promoting "home stays" and "farm stays" as new products. Traditional houses are being renovated and 2-3 rooms with all the facilities are being rented out.

There are at least 350 homestays in the state and 650 houseboats and they are increasing at the rate of 20 per cent per year.

The picturesque Kumarakkom panchayat in Kottayam district is the 'toast' of all hotel projects.About 200 rooms are being added in Kumarakkom alone, he said.

There are about 200 approved and classified hotels in Kerala and the number of rooms in this category are 4,000.