Promote responsible tourism to unlock Kollam’s potential: Minister

The district holds boundless potential for tourism, and by championing responsible tourism, it can drive a major breakthrough in this sector, Minister Shibu Baby John has said here on Sunday.

Speaking at the inauguration of the seminar series ‘Kollam: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow’, organised jointly by the Senior Journalists’ Union and the Kollam Press Club as part of the district’s 75th-anniversary celebrations, he added that tourism projects must be implemented with a strong focus on environmental conservation.

“Although Kollam is not yet prominently marked on the State’s tourism map, the district’s unique landscape spanning the high ranges, midlands, and coastal regions offers significant opportunities to develop tourism into a major revenue generator,” he said.

Reflecting on the region’s industrial background, the Minister pointed out that Kollam, once a prominent hub for industries, is currently facing a serious decline. He remarked that necessary reforms have not kept pace with the times, and unfortunately, successive administrations and political parties have primarily competed to grant increasing benefits to workers rather than ensuring sustainable industrial growth.

Delivering the keynote address, N.K. Premachandran, MP stressed the urgent need to advance infrastructure development, noting that the region’s mineral wealth has not yet been efficiently utilized.

He called for proactive interventions from governments and political leadership to sustain the struggling cashew sector. Inaugurating the Heritage Kollam session, District Panchayat president R. Latadevi observed that the district holds immense potential for a major breakthrough in the Ayurveda sector. Highlighting Kollam’s historical commercial importance, she urged all political parties to unite and work collectively to revive the cashew industry and other vital economic sectors.

Participating in the discussions, former KSFE chairman K. Varadarajan pointed out that despite numerous studies and discussions regarding Kollam’s development, authorities have continuously failed to implement practical solutions. He noted that while domestic consumption of cashew has increased, production and distribution centres have largely shifted outside Kerala, underscoring the urgent need for timely modernization and strategic adaptation in the sector. The seminar session was presided over by Mayor A.K. Hafeez.