Explore God’s
Own Canvas!
Considering
the uptick in inbound tourism from Kolkata, the Department of Tourism,
Government of Kerala is organizing B2B Roadshows in Kolkata on 20th
of January, 2017. The roadshow desires to attract city’s leading travel agents
and tour operators, and showcase to them the best of ‘God’s own country’.
The delegation
from Kerala is led by Mr. K. P. Nandkumar, Dy. Director Kerala Tourism, and
will comprise major players from the state’s Tourism & Trade industry.
Besides forging fresh collaborations, the roadshow will introduce new
initiatives, experiences and attractions that Kerala has in store for visitors.
Kerala
Tourism: The story so far…
The Marketing Initiatives for the year 2016-17
were formulated and executed based
on the keen understanding of the unique appeal that 'God's Own Country' holds
for its visitors. The cutting-edge marketing measures adopted by the government
have elevated the state to the top-tier of ‘must visit’ destinations around the
world. There has been a remarkable increase in the arrival of tourists within a
single year as a result of the various initiatives implemented by the
Government.
- In Sep 2016, foreign tourist arrivals
showed an uptick of 5.61% compared to that of Sep 2015.
- The domestic tourist arrivals figure in
Sep 2016 increased by 6.01% compared to that of Sep 2015
- Foreign exchange earnings for the year
2015 was Rs. 6949.88 cr. which recorded an increase of 8.61% over the
previous year.
- Total revenue (direct and indirect) from
tourism in 2015 is Rs 26689.63 cr. showing an increase of 7.25% over the previous
year’s figure.
Kerala Tourism attracts more tourists with new
initiatives!
Green Carpet Initiative to spark
off community involvement.
Launched
in September 2016, the Green Carpet Initiative focuses on a 10-point agenda
intended to give a facelift to select tourist destinations in the state. The
initiative is testimonial to the acknowledgment that concerted efforts are
needed to ensure security, cleanliness, hygiene, and scientific waste
management methods, apart from offering unique experiences. The initiative
emphasized on the need to spark off community involvement in tourism
development in the state.
On
the trail of the Spice Route…
The
Spice Route Revival Project is a key initiative undertaken by the state
government. Kerala's endeavor to revive
and promote, through tourism, the two millennia-old spice route that links the
south western coast of India to Europe, has received a boost with the United
Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) pledging support to the venture.
In September, Kerala’s local spice
markets amazed those who normally amaze people with their culinary genius. 17 teams of chefs preparing for the
Spice Route Culinary Festival scoured Kochi’s traditional markets to pick up
ingredients for the competition. They effused about how thrilling the sights,
smells and sounds of the market were; even likening it to ‘arriving in
paradise’.
The festival itself unfolded on a high note. Leading chefs from 15 countries dazzled
the crowds with the most exotic and delectable dishes – inspired no doubt by
the historic Spice Route. Each team was an ambassador of their respective
country’s culture and cuisine; collectively they gave the ambitious Spice
Route Revival Project a global platform and springboard.
The
four-day celebration came to a close with the prize distribution – the French
team taking the biggest honours, with duos from Egypt and Thailand also making
the winner’s list. Giving a boost to exponents of local cuisine, top teams in
the ‘Kerala Chef’ competition were also felicitated.
Kochi Muziris Biennale
Kochi Muziris Biennale is an
international contemporary art festival that has rendered Kerala the tag ‘Land
of Biennale’. The state tourism department allotted a whopping Rs 7.5 crore to
promote the third edition of the Biennale. The event is a stellar example of
community participation in developing the state’s tourism sector. The Biennale
helped to create a unique economic zone during the time of crisis due to
demonetization, when the state faced a dip in tourist arrivals.
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 key tourism properties like
Wildlife, Hill Stations, Beaches, Backwaters, etc. and to explore the
possibilities of adventure activities they offer. Kerala Natventure activities
include Trekking, Camping, Rock Climbing, Jungle Tour, Wildlife Safaris, Bird
Watching, Cycling, Kayaking, Canoeing and Paragliding.
Virtual Reality Kiosk at the Indira
Gandhi International airport brought to life the backwaters of Kerala and
offered a unique experience to its visitors. A two-minute film watched with a
VR headset transported the audience to a Kerala houseboat floating in serene
backwaters of Kerala. The VR ‘experience site’, the latest promotional and
marketing initiative of Kerala Tourism, has attracted much attention since it went
operational and has reinforced the fact that Kerala remains at the forefront of
leveraging technology for tourism promotion.
A new
campaign, Home of Ayurveda was also launched to promote Ayurveda through all
media. ‘Bekal’ was introduced as a new destination in North Kerala. From a seasonal tourist option, Kerala was elevated to an
all-season destination through a successful Dream Season campaign launched
during the off-season.
Keeping
up with the Virtual World…
In a short span of time, Kerala Tourism has made a mark
in the digital world. Its Facebook page has 12.8 lakh followers, the largest
figure for any tourism board in India. Besides this, Kerala Tourism has
44,400-plus Twitter followers, 6000-plus Instagram followers, 500-plus
Pinterest followers and 700-plus foursquare followers. There are around 23,000
subscribers for Kerala Tourism’s official YouTube Channel and more than 250
articles have been published on Kerala, Backwaters and Ayurveda in guest blogs.
Kerala
Tourism’s website, which attracts a huge quantum of visitors, has been
translated into various Indian languages including Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati,
Tamil, Kannada and Telugu, as well as foreign languages like Dutch, Italian,
Portuguese and Swedish. The new website was launched recently with a fresh look
providing increased accessibility and detailed information with over 1500
pictures and 3000 videos.
Kerala
has emerged as the No. 1 travel destination of the country in Google search
trends, edging out even the Taj Mahal. This is testimony to the international
recognition of brand Kerala.
Awards
and Accolades…
Kerala Tourism has bagged a number of
national as well as international awards. On the global stage, it made its
presence felt at ITB Berlin,winning the Golden
City Gate Award (Print Campaign), Best Family & Best Value for Money Destination, etc. More recently,
it annexed two gold awardsat the Pacific
Asia Travel Association (PATA) awards for its trendsetting marketing
initiatives.
A
stand-out international accolade was the ‘Best
Stand Feature’ at the World Trade Market, London. The showpiece display,
themed around Kerala’s fabled snake-boat races, included spectacular snake-boat
replicas as well as video and images of a ‘vallam kali’. The pavilion wowed
visitors and judges alike; one of the latter remarking that it made them “want
to go to Kerala just to see the action”.
Within
India too, Kerala Tourism was a prominent winner, returning from the
prestigious National Tourism Awards
with a rich haul. The string of innovative measures helped it sweep three of the six marketing categories for
states. Two more awards
including one for Responsible Tourism
(RT) and seven awards won by its trade partners swelled the kitty to 12.
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