Experience the Best with God’s Own Country!
Kerala popularly known as God’s Own Country is the perfect holiday
destination of India; from picturesque landscapes, exciting getaways to rich
culture and heritage the state has a lot to showcase. As a ritual, the state
brings you a 360 degree preview of India’s favorite destination; the essence of
the state being captured in one single event. The idea is to witness the rich
culture, extravagant heritage, magnificent landscapes, cuisine, music and art
all in one show.
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%
Kerala as the most preferred destination for both
Domestic and Internationals Tourists…
Foreign Tourist arrival to Kerala during the year
2014 is 9, 23,366; it shows an
increase of 7.60% over the
previous year’s figure of 8,
58,143. Domestic Tourist arrival to Kerala during the year 2014 is 116, 95,411. It shows an increase
of 7.71 % over the
previous year’s figure 108, 57,811.
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% over the last year’s
figure.
Visit Kerala – the Season of Surprises
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 with
special 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 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 2015-16 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, 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.
Keeping up
with the Virtual World…
In a short span of time, Kerala Tourism has made
a mark in the Digital world. Kerala Tourism has 1.1 million plus Facebook fans, 44,400 plus Twitter followers, 6000 plus Instagram followers,500 plus Pinterest followers, 700 plus foursquare followers, the Kerala
Tourism YouTube channel has 7,189 subscribers and 8,578,373 views. We also
have More than 250+ articles on Kerala,
Backwaters and Ayurveda published in guest blogs.
The new website has been launched recently with a
fresh look and increased accessibility with more information, 1500 pictures and
3000 videos.
Kerala Tourism’s website, which attracts the
maximum number of visitors, has been translated into various Indian languages
like Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu, as well as foreign
languages including Dutch, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish.
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.
Nishagandhi
Festival: January
The annual festival will be held from January
20th - 27th, 2016. Artist and connoisseurs of
dance from all over India come to enjoy this cultural treat. This year’s
Nishagandhi festival will kick off with classical sitar concert by Anoushka
Shankar, followed by performances of tabla exponent Zakir Hussain,
actress-dancer Hema Malini, among other internationally acclaimed artists. The
festival is organised by the Kerala Tourism.
On the
trail of the Spice Route…
Another amazing 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
Organisation (UNWTO) pledging support to the venture.
Other Noteworthy Projects…
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.
From a seasonal tourist
place, Kerala was elevated to an all season destination through a successful
Dream Season campaign launched during the off-season.
Awards and Accolades…
Kerala Tourism was conferred the inaugural Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) CEO Challenge 2015 award for the top
emerging destination in the world. The award was in recognition of the
pioneering Responsible Tourism undertaken in Thekkady by Kerala Tourism.
Kerala Tourism was also bestowed the top Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
Award for heritage conservation, in an honour that highlights the state's
trendsetting efforts in reinventing the millennia-old Spice Route heritage.
In addition to these, Kerala Tourism also bagged
the National Tourism Award for the Best Rural
Tourism Project in Kumarakom, ITB Berlin – Golden City Gate Award (Print
Campaign), Best Family & Best Value
for Money Destination and many more.
So what are you waiting for? The real award is for the
people who visit the state and take back amazing memories from God’s Own Country.
See you in Kerala!
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