By IANS,
Chennai: The first of the 25 museums planned under the Muziris Heritage Project (MHP) in Kerala is expected to be inaugurated in April, a Kerala tourism official said here Thursday.
Speaking to IANS, Anil V.S. said: “The first museum at Paliyum is expected to be inaugurated next month (April) while the work is in progress in respect of other 24 museums.”
According to him, eight boat jetties have been completed out of the 14 that were planned.
“It is the largest heritage conservation project in India. The total project outlay is around Rs.140 crore,” Anil added.
The project is aimed at reinstating the historical and cultural significance of the legendary port of Muziris.
The heritage site stretches across from the municipality of North Paravur in Ernakulam district to that of Kodungalloor in Thrissur district in Kerala. The object of the project is to promote awareness and understanding of the cultural distinctiveness and diversity of Muziris.
According to Anil, the seaplane project also will soon take off. It is set to provide the last mile connectivity to the tourists to various destinations in Kerala.
Meanwhile, the total revenue of Kerala Tourism touched Rs.21,125 crore in 2012, up from Rs.19,037 crore in 2011.
Last year, 794,000 foreign tourists and 1.01 crore domestic tourists visited Kerala as against 733,000 foreign tourists and 93.88 lakh domestic tourists who made their trip to Kerala the previous year.