Kerala Tourism to unleash new projects and events that will turn the state into an all-season destination, enhance the stay experience of new-age travellers by unfolding the charm of rural & lesser-known places.
Introducing new destinations, conceptualizing innovative tourism circuits, investing in infrastructure development, broadening the award-winning Responsible Tourism initiative, and ensuring better connectivity are the new focus areas.
This was announced at a media session addressed by Sreekumar S, Deputy Director (in-charge) of Kerala Tourism, as part of the Kerala Tourism Partnership Meet at Eros Hotel. More than 200 Delhi-based tour operators and travel agents participated in the meet.
To promote Kerala as a global wedding destination and paradise for honeymooners, the state government has announced a project to mount digital and airport-based marketing campaigns. The three projects – ‘Destination Wedding Campaign – Airports Translites’, ‘Destination Wedding Campaign – Social media, Google search & Display ads’, and ‘Promotion of Destination Wedding Microsite’ – will focus on the state’s inherent strengths for destination marriage.
Kerala will also leverage its globally acclaimed Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission, which is the first government-owned society in the state to provide training, marketing, and other support systems to local communities to start various initiatives in the tourism sector. Registering the RT Mission as a society will help it from getting funds from local governments and other agencies.
Kerala Tourism will also display the trendsetting caravan tourism (Keravan Kerala) and the award-winning STREET, which is an acronym for Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic Tourism hubs that take tourism deep into the state’s interiors and rural hinterlands.
Kerala recently launched Destination Challenge initiative to identity and develop a large number of places with tourism potential. Tourism Department will be taking on board local self-government institutions like panchayats as key partners in this scheme, which is based on the concept of ‘explore the unexplored’ and creating micro-destinations in every corner of the state, down to the panchayat level, meaning at least one destination each panchayat.
Alongside, Adventure, Wellness, MICE and Responsible Tourism, will also be taken forward with a greater sense of purpose and vigour.
Kerala Tourism will also launch a string of travel trade networking activities, including participation in trade fairs and organizing B2B roadshows in January-February in prominent Indian cities. These include the February 2-4 OTM (Outbound Travel Market) Mumbai at Jio World Convention Centre, and TTF (Travel and Tourism Fair) Chennai.
Besides, plans have been chalked out to organize roadshows in Chandigarh, Jaipur and Lucknow in January. Another series of B2B trade meets will be organized in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru in February.
Kerala Tourism Minister Mohamed Riyas says the focus will no longer be confined to beaches, backwaters and hill stations. “We now want to transform the whole of Kerala into an interconnected tourist haven where visitors get plenty of choices and diverse experiences. All this will make a trip to Kerala a wholesome experience for visitors looking for diverse experiences, be it a stay in a houseboat or caravan, ecologically responsible adventure activities, visits to heritage and cultural centres.”
Kerala hosted 1.33 crore tourists in the first three quarters of the year. Significantly, this marked an increase of 1.94 per cent from the pre-pandemic year.
