The Kerala state government will open bids next month for a new amusement park, waterpark and oceanarium for Veli Tourist Village.
Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Limited (KTIL) is inviting major attraction operators in South India to submit bids for the various parts of the makeover project, reports the New Indian Express.
Bids will open next month. Last month the city held a pre-bid conference, reviewing the project with the relevant stakeholders.
“The project is at the initial stage,” said K G Mohanlal, chairman and managing director of KTIL. “We need to evaluate the bids once we receive them.”
Veli Tourist Village is situated 12 kilometres from Kerala’s capital, Thiruvananthapuram. Veli Lake opens into the Arabian Sea and it is a popular site for families to picnic or go on boat trips. The beach is widely considered one of the best in the area.
The new project is expected to give a serious boost to tourism, says Shelly Raveendran, co-founder of Trivandrum Development Front (TDF), one of the companies involved in the pre-bid meeting. “The proposed urban entertainment hub would be an added attraction,” says Raveendran. “This enhances more investment in the area. It would help the multi-national companies, like Nissan, set up office space here.”
Plans include a 20,000 square foot snow theme park. An aquarium and a theme park with amusement rides are likely to spread over 35,000 sq ft. A restaurant and food court is also planned as well as a 6D theatre, night cricket, bowling alleys and go-karting. The likely cost of the project is an estimated Rs 82.80 crore.
A second phase is envisaged with shopping areas and multiplex cinemas.
It’s not the first time an amusement park has been touted for the site. Abu Dhabi-based Southern Fun City (SFC) was reported to have been interested in the project.
Details of the RFP can be found here. Closing date is 5 July 2018.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2018/jun/27/veli-readying-for-makeover-1834632.html
