THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India, 10 June 2021: Kerala has named P. A. Mohamed Riyas as the state’s new tourism minister.
The appointment took effect late last month when Ritas replaced Kadakampally Surendran the former tourism minister.
In addition to taking over the tourism portfolio, the 46-year-old will also supervise the Public Works Department.
Riyas quickly convened a meeting of the top brass in Kerala’s tourism department to discuss interventions needed to revive the state’s tourism sector, which is reeling under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He told the top officials that it was essential to create all possible interventions to address the problems of entrepreneurs, employees and other stakeholders in the tourism sector.
The minister said that working out strategies and implementing them at the earliest to revive the sector was a matter of urgent concern.
A meeting with the state-level bankers’ committee convened to explore steps to support the tourism industry during the pandemic financially. Kerala relies heavily on international tourism to drive the economy, which came to a complete halt by July 2020.
Discussions will also be held with “domain experts” to chart revival plans for the state’s tourism and launch a drive to bring back international tourists once the pandemic is under control.
