Everyone should cooperate for the development of the tourism sector in the State, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said, referring to the recent spare of hartals that had hurt the industry. He was inaugurating the flower show, Vasantotsavam 2019, at the Kanakakkunnu Palace here on Friday.
“We need to ensure all facilities for tourists. But frequent hartals in recent times have caused some issues in the sector. Hartals are usually the last resort of protests. Some countries even issued a warning to those planning to visit our State,” Mr. Vijayan said.
Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who presided, said the department was considering a proposal to conduct the Vasantotsavam in December, during the Christmas season, every year.
This would give an opportunity to people from other regions of the State to attend the festival. Last year, around 1.5 lakh people visited the festival and ₹83 lakh was generated from ticket sales and stalls, he said.
Highlights
Cymbidium plants from the North East, forest plants presented by the Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden, water plants presented by Malabar Botanical Garden, tribal medicine and food stalls by KIRTADS, re-creation of a forest by the Forest Department, Vanashree stalls for the sale of forest produce, honey products by Horticorp and agricultural products by the Agriculture Department are the highlights of the Vasantotsavam this year.
Ticket rates
The tickets for Vasantotsavam are available at the Kerala State Co-operative Bank’s special counters near the Kanakakkunnu main entrance. The tickets will also be available through the bank’s nine branches in the city.
Entry is free for children below five years of age. For those between the ages of 5 and 12, the ticket price is ₹20, while the price for those above 12 years of age is ₹50. For a group of 50 students, the entry fee will be reduced to ₹500. The entry to the exhibition wil be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.