Thekkady destination promotion council came into existence in the year 2004. The board was constituted of 8 members entrusted with the responsibility of promoting the tourism perspective of Thekkady. Thekkady had gained immense popularity as a promising tourist destination in early 90s and the need for aggressive promotion was felt in early 2000.

The initial attraction for tourists was the scenic boat ride across the Periyar Lake. As time lapsed, numerous satellite destinations surfaced on the tourism map. Further, the sanctuary held in its bosom magnetic venues which suffered due to lack of intense promotion. This consigned Thekkady to the backburner with this prolific place serving as picnic spot or a one night destination. The urgency was felt to turbocharge the potential of Thekkady as a tourist spot so as to attract tourists in large numbers and to make them stay over here for longer durations.