Kerala Tourism has declared the period from April 2015 to March 2016 as “Visit Kerala Year” and an array of activities are planned as part of it. In the wake of the fresh initiative, Kerala Tourism will explore more new markets like China, Sri Lanka etc. Aggressive campaigns that target potential travellers in big traditional markets for Kerala will be conducted in the United Kingdom, France and Germany through trade fairs and road shows. Leveraging the increased air connectivity, a focused Ayurveda and monsoon campaign will be conducted in the Middle East where 90% of the Diasporas are from Kerala.
Kerala welcomed 9, 23,366 foreign visitors in 2014 compared to 8, 58,143 in 2013, reflecting a growth of 7.60 per cent. The domestic arrivals to the state was also up by 7.71 per cent in 2014. Domestic Tourist arrival to Kerala during the year 2014 was 116, 95,411 compared to 108, 57,811 in 2013.
According to Kerala Tourism, foreign exchange earnings for the year 2014 are Rs: 6398.93 Crores which recorded an increase of 15.07 % over the previous year. Total Revenue (including direct & indirect) from Tourism during 2014 is Rs: 24885.44 crores, showing an increase of 12.11 per cent over the last year’s figure.
Kerala Tourism will also launch a new theme campaign to showcase Kerala and its unique attractions, to strengthen Kerala’s position as ‘God’s Own Country’ and to create a destination pull. Food festivals will be conducted in cities like Delhi and Mumbai to market Kerala’s authentic cuisine, one of the tourist attractions of the State.
The release issued by the Kerala Tourism further states that the Government of Kerala has rolled out a lot of initiatives till date, ‘Seaplane Project’ and ‘Project Muziris’; being the latest projects which were rolled out last year in order to enhance the travel experience and add to its array of attractions. Where the former project is aimed towards improving last mile connectivity by air to its destinations across the state, the latter is directed to reinstate the historical and cultural significance of the legendary port of Muziris, which makes a part of Central Kerala. For the Seaplane Project, the immediate plan is to provide service initially in the priority circuit, consisting of the three airports of Trivandrum, Cochin & Calicut and the prime destinations viz. Astamudi, Punnamada, Kumarakom, Bolgatty and Bekal in the state.
The marketing initiatives for the year 2015 are aimed at Value of Money off season packages targeting some important cities of the country namely; Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Surat.
