Karnataka to Hold Cabinet Meeting in Coastal Region to Boost Tourism, Remove Regulatory Hurdles

The Karnataka government will convene a Cabinet meeting in the coastal region, with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar directing officials to resolve major regulatory and technical bottlenecks affecting tourism and investment projects in the area before the meeting. The announcement was made on Friday after the Chief Minister chaired a meeting on coastal tourism development at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.

Mr. Shivakumar instructed officials to prepare, within 15 to 20 days, a comprehensive report on issues arising from Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms and forest clearances, along with possible solutions. He stressed the need to attract investments without compromising environmental safeguards, calling for a simple and transparent approval mechanism for entrepreneurs.

“Investors should not be made to run from one department to another. We must identify and remove the hurdles they face while ensuring that development is environmentally sustainable,” he said.

During the meeting, officials informed that 45 tourism projects with a proposed investment of ₹718.63 crore had been approved under the Karnataka Tourism Policy. These projects are expected to generate around 4,500 jobs. Mr. Shivakumar said the employment potential of the coastal region should be expanded further and called for greater focus on economic growth through tourism.

Describing coastal tourism as a special focus sector, he noted that Karnataka’s long coastline offered significant opportunities for tourism-led development. However, he emphasised that projects should be planned in a manner that protects the fragile coastal ecosystem. “We have one of the longest coastlines in the country. Tourism development must be taken up without causing damage to the environment,” he said.

Actor and filmmaker Rishab Shetty, who participated in the discussions, called for greater support to coastal folk arts, music, and cultural traditions. He said improving facilities for film shooting in the region would benefit the film industries of Karnataka, Kerala, and Goa and help promote the state as a preferred filming destination.

The Chief Minister also emphasised the need to showcase the culture, traditions, and heritage of Coastal Karnataka at the international level through festivals, fairs, and targeted marketing initiatives. To attract private investment, he favoured incentives such as subsidies, interest subvention, and other concessions under the tourism policy.

The meeting discussed the possibility of introducing a single-window clearance mechanism for tourism and infrastructure projects in the coastal belt to reduce delays in obtaining approvals from multiple agencies. Representatives from the tourism industry urged the government to promote heli-tourism and improve connectivity to key destinations along the coast.