Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy gifts a carved wooden elephant to Prince Charles on the occasion of Charles 65th birthday in Kumarakam yesterday.
The four-day official visit to Kerala by Prince Charles and his entourage is expected to give a fillip to tourism, a minister said yesterday.
Tourism Minister A P Anilkumar said the decision of Prince Charles to choose Kerala for celebrating his birthday was significant as the state, a top tourist destination in the world, receives the biggest number of arrivals from Britain.
“It is a matter of honour for Kerala that the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall chose the state to celebrate his 65th birthday here,” Anilkumar said.
“We are truly delighted that the royal couple enjoyed their stay in our state and experienced the many facets of the serene beauty and diverse cultural life of Kerala,” the minister added.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla arrived in Kerala on November 11. They were on a nine-day visit to India. They had a taste of Kerala’s abundant natural beauty and rich cultural heritage during their stay.
Their visit ended yesterday, the day Prince Charles celebrated his 65th birthday. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his family arrived at the tourist resort of Kumarakom to wish him happy birthday.
The chief minister gifted an exquisitely carved wooden elephant to Charles.
Chandy and his family spent 20 minutes with the royal couple exchanging views on various issues.
“I handed him a copy of the Perspective Plan 2030 of our government as I have come to know that he has huge interests in sustainable development. Then I gave him a copy of the state’s initiative on disability and on the activities done by NISH (state-owned National Institute of Speech and Hearing),” Chandy said.