P Balakiran, Tourism Director, Govt of Kerala, has started off his speech at the inaugural day of the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT 2019), kick-started at Le Meridien in Kochi, by reading out session notes he had taken during the previous ICTT conducted in 2017. “The information we have received from the ICTT 2017 sessions has greatly helped us while we were planning to revamp the Kerala Tourism website,” he said while addressing the audience today morning.
“The budget allocated for digital marketing in the current financial year is 10 per cent, compared to the previous period’s 2 per cent, and is planning to be raised to 25 per cent in the coming years,” he said. Balakiran also pointed out that in the current scenario, priority should be given to digital marketing than conventional marketing.
The Tourism Director also discussed in detail about Kerala Tourism’s international online painting competition for children to commemorate child prodigy Edmund Thomas Clint, and how it helped draw more visitors to the Kerala Tourism’s official website and in promoting the destination. The winners of Kerala Tourism’s are in Kochi today for a five-night-family trip and to receive the prizes.
The third edition of ICTT aims at helping the players of tourism industry to stay abreast with the latest technology through effective usage of digital and social media platforms. Around 10 subject experts across the globe will offer their insights on 10 different topics related to online promotion of the business.
The two-day long event will be concluded on September 27, on the World Tourism Day. Around 500 delegates including tour operators, hoteliers, resort owners, homestays, SEO (search engine optimization) companies, software firms, social media marketing companies and bloggers, are expected to attend the conference at Le Meridian hotel, Kochi.
The topics include: Impact of influential marketing in tourism by Ellie Shedden, Australia; Artificial intelligence and travel revolution by Losch, Italy; Secrets of search Engine Rankings by David Carollo, Singapore; How to do social media tourism promotion to get Chinese tourists? by Richard Matuzevich, China; Tips to become a good digital photographer? by Shane Dallas, Kenya; How to create a good story about your brand? by Jen Morilla, USA; How innovation in travel and tourism is driving economic and jobs growth by Brian Marrinan, Ireland; How to create an attention grabbing content/blog? by Heather Heuman, USA; How to use YouTube for destination promotion by Jessica Dante, UK; Program tips for improving E-A-T SEO by Sean Patrick Si, Philippines and Instagram and growth strategies by Isabel Mosk, Netherland.
