Visit Kerala – the Season of Surprises / News for you
Kerala Tourism has declared the period from April 2015 to April 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 travelers in big traditional markets for Kerala will be conducted in the United Kingdom, France and Germany through trade fairs and roadshows. 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.
A comprehensive festivals and events calendar will be prepared and promoted through multiple channels, including India Tourism Offices and Indian embassies abroad. Kerala will be promoted as a major “Wedding and MICE destination” through online campaigns.
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 conducted in cities such as Ahmedabad and Mumbai to market Kerala’s authentic cuisine, one of the tourist attractions of the State. Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) will come up withspecial discounted packages during the period.
Initiatives in God’s Own Country…
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 yearin 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 2015-16are aimed at Value of Money off season packages targeting some important cities of the country namely; Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Surat, Vishakhapatnam, Patna, Guwahati, Pune, Goa, Udaipur, Mysore, Coimbatore etc.
The state aims at being part of all International and Domestic Trade Fairs and Road Shows like MITT Moscow, TUR Gottenburg, ITB Berlin, Dusseldorf Germany, Berlin Germany, Milan Italy, London UK.
Hop On Hop Off Boats..
The Hop on Hop offBoats 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.
Kerala has emerged as the No. 1 travel destination of the country in Google search trends, edging out TajMahal. This is a testimony to the international recognition of brand Kerala.
Quick facts –
Kerala Tourism attracts more tourists with new initiatives
- In 2015, the number of foreign tourists that visited Kerala was 7,75,390 (From Jan-October)
- Foreign tourists’ arrival from Jan-October, 2015 up by 6.60%
- Number of domestic tourists in Kerala this year was 76,71,277 (From Jan –August)
- Domestic tourists’ arrival from Jan – August, 2015 up by 7.40%