Kerala Tourism is all set to roll out aggressive promotional campaigns across the country to lure tourists from the domestic market.
The campaigns to ramp up the Kerala’s tourism and hospitality industry will be based on a variety of themes such as Long Stays, Homestays, Drive Holidays and ‘Change of Air’ besides new products like Caravan Holidays.
These promotional initiatives will be bolstered by a series of travel trade networking activities, including participation in Trade Fairs, organizing B2B Partnership Meets and roadshows, and promoting products and events through various media such as print, TV, radio, digital, OTT, and theatre.
During the next three months (March-May), Kerala Tourism will participate in the 28th International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) at Tel Aviv (Israel) and at BIT Milan (Italy) and also organise B2B Meets in Madrid and Milan. As for the domestic events, it will attend trade fairs like OTM Mumbai, TTF Chennai and South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE), New Delhi. In addition, partnership meets will be held in New Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.
Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas said the pandemic had tapered off considerably across the globe, resulting in lifting of travel restrictions. “This augur well for Kerala’s tourism and hospitality industry. We are in a resurgent mode now. We believe the recently launched products will woo back the travellers from both inside the country and outside”, he added.
“Tourists from inside the country have always played a major role in making Kerala’s tourism a throbbing enterprise. In the post-COVID world also, their role will be paramount. It is this belief that forms the essence of our pan-India promotional campaigns,” he added.
Dr. Venu V, Addl. Chief Secretary (Tourism), said, “The theme-based projects have been made after meticulous planning. Some of the new projects, like the biodiversity circuit, and Caravan Holidays, in particular, will take the travellers to Kerala’s unexplored areas while observing all the pandemic protocols, thus helping the state go beyond established destinations.”
Tourism Director V R Krishna Teja said a major objective of the ‘Change of Air’ theme is to entice urban Indians with families, for holidaying in Kerala as the state is making determined efforts to put its tourism sector back on track.
“The idea of a ‘Change of Air’, often prescribed by physicians, is to flip the negative connotation around the pandemic-infected ‘air’ and foreground the fresh air that abounds in Kerala’s greenery and open spaces as the healthiest way to beat the lockdown blues,” he noted.
