Kochi: Kochi will soon figure on top of the Indian cities hosting conference tourism, Yusuff Ali MA, managing director, Lulu International, said here on Sunday.

“Event management companies demand that a city have about 2000 rooms in the five star category to bring in major international events,” he told reporters after the launch of the 274-room Marriot Kochi at Lulu Mall.

“At present, Kochi has about 1200 rooms in the category and we shall soon reach that number. We will launch a campaign to develop Kochi as a conference tourism destination.”

The Lulu Group’s project in Bolgatty coming up on a scenic spot will add to Kerala’s attractions, he said.

The government must work on improving the infrastructure, he said. Yusuffali, however, parried questions on whether the liquor policy will impact the state’s tourism potential saying it falls in the domain of the government and ‘we abide by all the policies of the elected government.’

Lulu Group, which recently took over the Abad hotel at Nedumbasserry has aggressive plans for the tourism sector in the state. It plans a four-star hotel near its convention centre in Thrissur. It has teamed up with the Hyatt group for the Bolgatty project.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala inaugurated Marriot Kochi, the second property of the Marriot International chain in Kerala. It comes in the luxury group and is the only hotel in the State with a helipad.