Lok Sabha Question No. 1290 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-08
Subject: Promotion of Tourism in Kerala
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Shri K Radhakrishnan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1290

## ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025

## PROMOTION OF TOURISM IN KERALA

## 1290. SHRI K RADHAKRISHNAN:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has identified new tourism circuits in Kerala under the Swadesh Darshan or PRASHAD schemes;
- (b) the details of the measures taken/being taken to promote eco-tourism and cultural tourism in Kerala; and
- (c) the manner in which the Government is addressing the post-COVID challenges faced by the local tourism and hospitality sector?

## ANSWER

(SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM

(a) and (b):  The Ministry of Tourism through its ongoing schemes of Swadesh Darshan and 'Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive'  (PRASHAD)  complements  the  efforts  of  the  State  Governments (SGs)/UT Administrations (UTs) by extending financial assistance to them for  developing  tourism  related  infrastructure  in  the  country,  including

Kerala.

Under  the  Swadesh  Darshan  Scheme,  the  Ministry  of  Tourism  has sanctioned  five  projects  in  Kerala  under  different  themes  such  as  EcoCircuit, Spiritual Circuit and Rural Circuit at a total cost Rs.312.47 Crore.

The  Swadesh  Darshan  scheme  has  been  revamped  as  'Swadesh Darshan  2.0'  (SD  2.0)  with  the  objective  to  develop  sustainable  and responsible  tourism  destinations.  Till  date,  three  projects  have  been sanctioned in Kerala by the Ministry of Tourism under SD 2.0 at a total cost of Rs.182.85 Crore.

In  addition,  the  Ministry  of  Tourism  has  issued  guidelines  for 'Challenge Based Destination Development', a sub -scheme under Swadesh Darshan 2.0.  This sub-scheme aims for holistic development of destination to enhance tourist experience across all of tourist value chain to transform our tourist destinations as sustainable and responsible destinations. Under this sub-scheme, the Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned two projects in Kerala under categories such as Culture &Heritage and Spiritual Tourism at a total cost of Rs.49.99 crore. Under the PRASHAD Scheme, the Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned a project in Kerala at a cost of Rs.45.19 Crore, to enhance  the spiritual experience of the tourist at the site. The Government of India under the guidelines for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) for Development of Iconic Tourist Centres  to  Global  Scale  has  approved  two  projects  for  promoting  ecotourism and cultural tourism in Kerala at a total cost of Rs.155.05 Crore. The details of the projects sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism under above Schemes, are given in the Annexure-I. Moreover, the Ministry of Tourism as part of its ongoing endeavour promotes  various  tourism  destinations  and  products  of  the  country including eco-tourism and cultural tourism in Kerala through promotional activities  such  as  events,  website,  social  media  promotions,  fairs  and festivals, etc. (c): The details of the various measures announced by the Government for addressing post-COVID challenges faced by the tourism sector, are given in the Annexure-II.

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## ANNEXURE-I

STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) AND (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1290 ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025 REGARDING PROMOTION OF TOURISM IN KERALA RAISED BY SHRI K RADHAKRISHNAN

## List of Projects under PRASHAD Scheme in Kerala

|   Sr. No. | Name of the Project             |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. in crore) |
|-----------|---------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|         1 | Development at Guruvayur Temple |                            45.19 |

## List of Projects under Swadesh Darshan Scheme in Kerala

| Sr. No.   | Name of the Project                                                                                                            |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. in crore) |
|-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| 1.        | Development of Pathanamthitta- Gavi- Vagamon- Thekkadysabari                                                                   |                            64.08 |
| 2.        | Development of Sabarimala - Erumeli-Pampa- Sannidhanam                                                                         |                            46.54 |
| 3.        | Development of SreePadmanabha Arnamula                                                                                         |                            78.08 |
| 4.        | Development of Malanad Malabar Cruise Tourism Project                                                                          |                            57.35 |
| 5.        | Development Sivagiri Sree Narayana Guru Ashram- Arruvipuram- Kunnumpara SreeSubrahmania- Chembazhanthi Sree Narayana Gurukulam |                            66.42 |
|           | Total Sanction Cost                                                                                                            |                           312.47 |

## List of Projects under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme in Kerala

| Sr. No.   | Name of the Project                                                |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. in crore) |
|-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| 1.        | Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary Experience, Kumarakom                     |                            13.81 |
| 2.        | Enhancement of Tourist Experience at Malampuzha Garden and Leisure |                            75.87 |
| 3.        | Alappuzha: A Global Water Wonderland                               |                            93.17 |
|           | Total Sanction Cost                                                |                           182.85 |

List  of  Projects  under  Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD) Scheme in Kerala

| Sr. No.   | Name of the Project             |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. in crore) |
|-----------|---------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| 1.        | Varkala-Dakshin Kashi           |                            24.99 |
| 2.        | Thalassery: The Spiritual Nexus |                            25    |
|           | Total Sanction Cost             |                            49.99 |

## List of Projects under Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI Scheme) in Kerala

| Sr. No.   | Name of the Project                                       |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. in crore) |
|-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| 1.        | Ashtamudi Biodiversity and Eco-recreational Hub, Kollam   |                            59.71 |
| 2.        | Sargaalaya: Global Gateway to Malabar's Cultural Crucible |                            95.34 |
|           | Total Sanction Cost                                       |                           155.05 |

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STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1290 ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025 REGARDING PROMOTION OF TOURISM IN KERALA RAISED BY SHRI K RADHAKRISHNAN

Relief Measures for Covid-19 Announced By Government of India:

The following are the various relief measures announced by the Government for redeveloping post-COVID tourism sector of the country:

- i. The Government announced Atmanirbhar Bharat Package vide which Rs.3.00 lakh crore collateral free automatic loan was made available for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The loan will have 4- year tenure and 12-month moratorium.
- ii. Under  Atmanirbhar  Bharat  package,  Provident  Fund  contribution  of both employer and employee was reduced to 10% each from existing 12% each for all establishments covered by Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for three months.
- iii. Return  filing  deferred  for  three  months  with  no  penal  interest  for companies up to Rs.5.00 Crore, rest @ 9% penal interest.
- iv. The  Government  waived  off  PF  contribution  for  three  months  for organisations with less than 100 pax and 90% of their employees earn below Rs.15000.
- v. Deferment of Tax Collected at Source (TCS) up to October 2020.
- vi. The  Central  government  also  gave  relief  from  various  regulatory compliances under Income Tax Act, companies Act and Goods and Service Tax (GST) Act for varying period in the wake of COVID-19 crisis to ensure business continuity and survival.
- vii.  Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) was launched in May, 2020 as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan to support eligible Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and business enterprises in meeting their operational liabilities and restarting their businesses. Under the scheme, 100% credit guarantee is extended to the lending institutions for loans extended by them under the scheme to  eligible  borrowers.  The  admissible  guarantee  limit  under  the scheme has been increased from Rs.4.5 lakh crore to Rs.5 lakh crore, with  the  additional  guarantee  cover  of  Rs.50,000  crore  earmarked exclusively for the Hospitality and related enterprises including Civil Aviation sector. As per inputs received from National Credit Guarantee

Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC), the details of number of guarantees and loan amount guaranteed to Travel, Tourism, Hotels, Restaurants etc. are given below:

ECLGS data on Hospitality and related enterprises Sector as on 03.03.2023

| ECLGS - TRAVEL AND TOURISM DATA AS ON 3rd MARCH 2023       | ECLGS - TRAVEL AND TOURISM DATA AS ON 3rd MARCH 2023       | ECLGS - TRAVEL AND TOURISM DATA AS ON 3rd MARCH 2023       | ECLGS - TRAVEL AND TOURISM DATA AS ON 3rd MARCH 2023       |
|------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|
| Scheme Type                                                | Scheme Type                                                | No of Guarantees Issued                                    | Loan Amount Guaranteed (Rs. in crore)                      |
| ECLGS 3.0                                                  | ECLGS 3.0                                                  | 2955                                                       | 1938.46                                                    |
| ECLGS EXTENSION                                            | 3.0                                                        | 809                                                        | 521.60                                                     |
| TOTAL                                                      | TOTAL                                                      | 3764                                                       | 2460.06                                                    |
| ECLGS - HOTELS, RESTAURANTS ETC. DATA AS ON 3rd MARCH 2023 | ECLGS - HOTELS, RESTAURANTS ETC. DATA AS ON 3rd MARCH 2023 | ECLGS - HOTELS, RESTAURANTS ETC. DATA AS ON 3rd MARCH 2023 | ECLGS - HOTELS, RESTAURANTS ETC. DATA AS ON 3rd MARCH 2023 |
| Scheme Type                                                | Scheme Type                                                | No of Guarantees Issued                                    | Loan Amount Guaranteed (Rs. in crore)                      |
| ECLGS 3.0                                                  | ECLGS 3.0                                                  | 3757                                                       | 6883.82                                                    |
| ECLGS EXTENSION                                            | 3.0                                                        | 1920                                                       | 3016.33                                                    |
| ECLGS 2.0                                                  | ECLGS 2.0                                                  | 219                                                        | 3437.11                                                    |
| ECLGS EXTENSION                                            | 2.0                                                        | 4                                                          | 34.47                                                      |
| ECLGS 1.0                                                  | ECLGS 1.0                                                  | 96785                                                      | 3692.87                                                    |
| ECLGS EXTENSION                                            | 1.0                                                        | 1181                                                       | 224.12                                                     |
| TOTAL                                                      | TOTAL                                                      | 103866                                                     | 17288.72                                                   |

- viii.  On 28 th  June 2021, the Government announced a stimulus package to boost diverse sectors of economy affected by COVID-19 pandemic and provide impetus for growth and employment measures. The package comprises a total of 17 measures in three broad categories, which included 'Economic relief from Pandemic, with special focus on health and reviving travel and tourism sectors' and 'Impetus for Growth and employment'.
- ix. Ministry  of  Tourism  launched  'Loan  Guarantee  Scheme  for  COVID Affected  Tourism  Service  Sector  (LGSCATSS)',  which  aimed  at extending collateral free loan to the distressed tourism sector to help them discharge their liabilities and restart their business affected due to Covid-19 pandemic under this scheme, collateral free Loan up to Rs.10.00 lakh each could be availed by Ministry of Tourism approved Tour  operator/Travel  Agents/Tourist  Transport  Operators and up  to
3. Rs.1.00 lakh could be availed by RLGs/IITGs approved by Ministry of Tourism  and  Tourist  Guides  approved  by  State  Government/UT Administration. The  scheme  was  operational  through  18  Scheduled Commercial Banks. Validity of the scheme was extended by one more year i.e. till 31 st  March, 2023 or till the guarantee of Rs.250.00 crore are issued under the scheme.  Around 476 guarantees were issued amounting  to  Rs.6.82  crore  approx.,  out  of  which  Rs.6.19  crore (approx.)  were  disbursed.  Rs.1.60  crore  approx.  was  released  to National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) towards probable bad loans and for execution of the scheme.
- x. With a view to prepare for a post-COVID 19 revival, the Ministry has formulated and issued detailed operational guidelines for COVID safety and  hygiene  for  hotels,  restaurants,  B&Bs/Homestays  and  Tourism Service  Providers  on  08.06.2020  to  facilitate  smooth  resumption  of business.
- xi. An  initiative  called  SAATHI  (System  for  Assessment,  Awareness  & Training  for  Hospitality  Industry)  has  been  developed  for  effective implementation of Guidelines/SOPs issued with reference to COVID-19 and beyond for safe operations of Hotels, restaurants, B&Bs and other units.
- xii.  With an aim to incentivize stakeholders in the Tourism industry, the Guidelines for the scheme of Market Development Assistance (MDA) for  providing  financial  support  to  stakeholders  for  the  promotion  of Domestic Tourism have been modified to enhance the scope and reach of the scheme, so as to provide maximum benefits to the stakeholders. Additional  promotional  activities  have  been  incorporated  including online promotions and the extent of financial assistance permissible has  been  enhanced.  The  Guidelines  of  the  Marketing  Development Assistance Programme under the Overseas Promotion and Publicity Scheme has been modified to enhance the scope and reach of the scheme, so as to provide maximum benefits to the stakeholders in the tourism industry.
- xiii. For the purpose of restarting inbound tourism and attracting foreign tourists in the country, Government of India extended first 5 lakh visas to the foreign tourists from potential tourism markets, free of cost. It was  announced  that  the  benefit  of  free  of  charge  visa  would  be available only once per tourist during the issuance of the first 5lakh
8. tourist visas.
- xiv. Owing to the situation which arose out of COVID19 pandemic, Ministry of Tourism in consultation with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare issues guidelines/directions to the Tourism

Stakeholders, Hotels and Restaurants to facilitate smooth resumption of business. xv.  Ministry of Home Affairs restored e-Tourist Visa for foreign nationals of 171 countries as on date.

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