Government of Kerala trended to ignore its tourism potential completely until the late 1980s, despite the strong marketing efforts done by leading private tour agencies.
It was 1st Prince Col. Goda Varma Raja (Husband of H.H Queen of Travancore, Karthika Thirunal), while spending his honeymoon holidays at Kovalam's Halcyon Castle, discovered the immense possibility of exploring the kingdom's tourism opportunities.
As 1st Prince, he was in-charge of receiving state guests and often several visiting dignitaries used to praise the natural beauty, which made him realize to seriously concentrate in developing the industry.
However his idea received a cold response at Royal Court, forcing him to start his own venture to popularize key tourist destinations.
The attitude of ignoring tourism continued even after Independence, leaving the sector purely driven by few private ventures and hotel chains.