The land of mystical tales, coconut-fringed horizons and beautiful backwaters has always been at the top of every traveller's list of places to visit. With Kerala Tourism's new initiatives and projects that bring little-known spots, innovative tourism circuits, and off-beat experiences to the fore, the state is all set to enchant holidayers once again.
These initiatives were introduced at the Kerala Partnership Meet, held on January 17 in New Delhi and attended by over 200 tour operators and travel agents from the city. Kerala
Tourism's Deputy Director, Mr Sreekumar S, presided over the event and gave the audience insights into the department's success and future plans.
The Next Big Wedding Destination
Having been a destination for unforgettable family vacations for the longest time, the department now turns to honeymooners and soon-to-be-wed with its new and imaginative "Destination Wedding" campaign. The initiative leverages Kerala's undiluted beauty to promote it as a heavenly global wedding destination through evocative messaging across multiple digital media platforms.
In addition, the department is also looking forward to bolstering the celebrated and globally recognised Responsible Tourism Mission, which encourages visitors to experience a slice of village life while empowering the local community. The department is also committed to strengthening its other initiatives, such as caravan tourism (Keravan Kerala) and STREET (Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Ethnic Tourism). Even its recently launched "Destination Challenge" project focuses on developing immersive sustainable experiences across off-beat and less-popular destinations in the state.
Beyond Beaches And Backwaters
These new initiatives ensure the spotlight shines bright on Kerala's countless wonders&ndashbeyond beaches, backwaters and hill stations. Elaborating more on this, Kerala Tourism Minister Shri Mohamed Riyas said, "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, or visits to heritage and cultural centres."
Even though the focus is on increasing Kerala's appeal among travellers, the department also plans to launch travel trade networking activities through trade fairs and organising B2B roadshows across cities such as Chandigarh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.