The Government of Kerala has rolled out a lot of initiatives till date, with the ‘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 and Calicut and the prime destinations viz. Astamudi, Punnamada, Kumarakom, Bolgatty and Bekal in the state.
The Hop on Hop off Boats service was started as a part of Kerala Tourism’s many other initiatives in the year 2014. As part of its innovative water-based tourism facilities, the Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Ltd., under the state’s Department of Tourism, launched the Hop-on Hop-off boat service and Water Taxis, for the first time in India, in the backwaters of Kochi and in the Spice Route project of Muziris.
Another initiative in the offering is the Spice Route Revival Project. Kerala’s initiative to revive and promote the two millennia-old spice route, that links the south western coast of India up to Europe, through tourism has received a boost, with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) pledging support to the venture.
Kerala Tourism has come out with a unique nature based soft adventure holidays program NATVENTURE. The idea behind this is to use the key tourism products – Wildlife, Hill Stations, Beaches, Backwaters, etc. and engage the possibilities of adventure activities they offer. Kerala Natventure activities include Trekking, Camping, Rock Climbing, Jungle, Wildlife Safaris, Bird Watching, Cycling, Kayaking, Canoeing and Paragliding.
Another forward initiative is the launch of the new ‘Great Backwaters’ campaign. The campaign aims at unveiling the state’s majestic backwaters as a single unique destination. A new campaign, ‘Home of Ayurveda’ was also launched to promote Ayurveda through all media. ‘Bakel’ has been introduced as a new destination in North Kerala.
Addressing the trade and media at a roadshow that was recently held in Mumbai to announce these initiatives, Anupama T.V, Additional Director General, Kerala Tourism said, “Foreign tourist arrivals went up from 7,94,696 in 2012 to 8,58,143 during the 12-month period from January 2013 registering an increase of 8.12 percent. The domestic tourist arrivals also registered a 7.75 percent variation with the arrivals going up from 1,00,76,854 in 2012 to 1,08,57,811 last year.”
The marketing initiatives for the year are aimed at Value of Money off season packages targeting some important cities of the country namely; Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Surat. A new website has also been launched recently with a fresh look and increased accessibility with more information; 1,500 pictures and 3,000 videos.
Anupama further added, “The total revenue, both direct and indirect, from the tourism sector touched Rs. 22, 926.55 crore compared to Rs. 21,125 crores in 2012. The 12.22 per cent increase shows the contribution of tourism to the State. Foreign exchange earnings received by the tourism industry in the State went up from Rs. 4,571.69 crores in 2012 to Rs. 5.560.77 crores in 2013. The 21.63 percentage increase reflects how well the travel trade in the State has done in the International market.”
