The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visited Kollam in Kerala. He dedicated the 13 km, 2-lane Kollam bypass on NH-66 to the nation. The Governor of Kerala Shri Justice P. Sathasivam, CM of Kerala Shri PinarayiVijayan, Union Minister of Tourism Shri K J Alphons along with other dignitaries were present on this occasion.

He underlined the fact that the project got final sanction in January 2015 and now it has seen the light of the day. The Prime Minister told that his Government believes in sabkasaath, sabkavikas for ease of living to the common man and appreciated the contribution and co-operation of Kerala government in the completion of the project.

Kollam Bypass will reduce travel time between Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram and decongest the traffic in Kollam town.

Talking about the projects in Kerala, the PM said under Bharatmala, a detailed project report for the Mumbai-Kanyakumari corridor is under preparation.

The Prime Minister said that the government is committed to ensure timely completion of all the projects.  He said that through PRAGATI, more than 250 projects worth Rs.12 lakh crores have been reviewed at his end.

Speaking on the importance of Tourism Sector, PM highlighted the remarkable growth in this sector. India posted a growth of 14% over 2016 in the tourism sector while the world grew at an average of 7%. He added that India now stands at 3rd place in Power Ranking in the 2018 report of the World Travel & Tourism Council. Foreign tourist arrivals in India increased by 42% from around 70 lakh in 2013 to about 1 crore in 2017. While the Foreign exchange earned by India due to tourism witnessed a jump of 50%, up from $ 18 billion in 2013 to $ 27 billion in 2017. He described the introduction of the e-Visa as a game changer for Indian Tourism which is now available to nationals of 166 countries.