The state-owned Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC), that played a key role in placing Bekal into the tourism map and its emergence as a seaside destination, is to foray into new avenues and to emerge as a lead agency for tourism promotion of North Malabar.

The BRDC, which is confined to tourism development of Bekal since 1995, will soon be tasked with overall development of tourism sector in Kasaragod and Kannur districts. The move is part of Government’s ambitious plan to promote North Malabar in a big way and increase footfalls with the opening up of Kannur international airport.

BRDC’s Memorandum of Association will be amended to enable it to venture into new areas outside Bekal, including the badly needed investment promotion, and to Kannur and Kasargod districts, official sources told The Hindu. The way forward to make the BRDC a lead agency was discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Minister for Tourism, Kadakampally Surendran recently in the Secretariat.

The BRDC has found that private investment is needed in a big way for exploiting the untapped tourism potential of North Malabar. Bekal has already two high-end properties and another three are coming up in the 235.50 acres acquired by BRDC. The need is three hotels for the budget travellers and the investment promotion is being focussed to adress the issue, sources said.

The decision to step out of Bekal comes in the wake of the overwheling success to the BRDC’s drive Small and Medium Industries Leveraging Experiential (SMiLE) Tourism. “It has resulted in 93 persons launching homestays, resorts, houseboats, and other tourism services. The 28 % of the SMiLE entrepreneurs are women, ” says T.K. Manzoor, Managing Director of the BRDC.

Suranga and Theyyam‘Suranga,’ the traditional water harvesting system of horizontal tunnels in the laterite hills in Kasaragod, and kayaking is a major tourism attraction under the initiative. Under the project, 400 tourists can be accommodated daily in the region.

The experiential packages launched by the SMiLE entrepreneurs is a big hit and the good results is visible already in tourism statistics. The inflow of foreign tourists has jumped by four times in Kasaragod distirct in 2018 compared to 2017, Mr, Manzoor points out.