Category: Kerala

The South India Hotels and Restaurants Association (SIHRA) has urged the Kerala state government to help the hospitality sector by issuing suitable directions to the electricity board to help them reduce their overheads. In a letter to electricity minister MM Mani, SIHRA vice-president (Kerala) Suresh M Pillai said power bills are one of the major expenses for the hospitality industry. The letter requested the minister to waive off demand charges during the lock-down period and energy bills be charged on the basis of actual consumption units. The load factor incentives should be calculated excluding the lock-down period and average bills ... Read more

With job losses an imminent reality in the travel and tourism sector, the Association of Professionals in Tourism (APT) is rallying behind the employees, trying to protect their interests. In an interview, APT President Hari KC says employers in the sector should not lay-off employees in the first four months at least, and instead retain them even if at a lower pay, ensuring their day to day survival. The immediate task is to identify the most impacted employees and help them in their careers, he says. Excerpts: Q: The Association of Professionals in Tourism (APT) has been doing a great ... Read more

The Ayurveda Promotion Society (APS) is devising a plan to fight the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has ravaged the travel and tourism industry. In an online meeting convened on Saturday, APS members discussed the importance of surviving the crisis first before launching into top gear. While most members talked about the importance of marketing campaigns revolving around how ayurveda can build immunity, some felt that the concept should not be overstated. Dr D Ramanathan, President, Ayurveda Medicine Manufactures Association of India (AMMOI), said the Indian government is seeing a growth of 20% this year in the ayurveda industry ... Read more

Film tourism is the new way to market a destination. Just like farm tourism, dental tourism, medical tourism, adventure tourism, eco-tourism and cultural tourism, the concept of film tourism is another fragment of travel. When a viewer gets induced to visit a particular location after seeing it in a movie, it is termed as ‘Film Tourism’. India has probably the largest number of film producers in the world and we also a have some of the finest bunch of actors of all time, who have fans all over the world. I am also working as a production manager, being a ... Read more

Kerala Tourism, like any other tourism entity, stands still at the moment with lot of uncertainty ahead. Whether one is looking at it positively or negatively, the uncertainty remains etched in the minds of each investor and employee. No one really knows how long the current situation will prolong. At the moment, India is being praised for the way this pandemic has been handled. Kerala is a state which is much talked about in this scenario and appreciated by everyone. This gives us an advantage of safety in the minds of travelers. How long will this hang in the minds ... Read more

Kerala Tourism should find a solution to improve Munnar’s fortunes by constituting a new body with the involvement of local authorities and industry. If Munnar and nearby areas can be further beautified with a proper vision for the future, it will be a game changer not only for Munnar tourism but also for whole of Kerala Tourism, says Shankar R Nair, general manager, Blanket Resorts, Munnar. In an interview, he says lack of awareness among guests about the places to visit in Munnar along with the activities available, is a concern. If we can do some detailed planning on these ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has assisted the repatriation of 268 tourists, most of them British, who were not able to return home due to the ban on international flights. The tourists have left for London on a British Airways flight, chartered by the British High Commission in India. The deputy high commissioner of Britain in Bengaluru was personally present at Kochi to oversee the repatriation, Kerala Tourism secretary Rani George said in a note. Joint director of Kerala Tourism Raj Kumar and his team in Kochi, and deputy director Biju and his team in Thiruvananthapuram provided the ground support for the repatriation. ... Read more

The South Kerala Hoteliers’ Forum (SKHF) has written to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan urging him to request the concerned authorities to extend the moratorium on bank loans to a period of 12 months from March this year. RBI had granted moratorium for only a period of three months. Interest during the period should also be waived off, SKHF stated in the letter. These benefits should be made available to all accounts irrespective of whether the account is regular or whether instalments are overdue for payment, as of February this year. According to the directive issued by RBI, such overdue accounts ... Read more

The houseboats enjoy a unique pride of place in Kerala’s decorated tourism map. It’s an experience that most tourists cherish for a life time when they visit the state. It’s like the calling card of Kerala’s tourism brand. However, the corona virus pandemic has hit the segment hard and it will take months before normalcy returns to the industry, says Jobin J Akkarakalam, director, Spice Routes Luxury Cruises. The house boat segment involves high maintenance costs and hence the losses are even steeper. He estimates that the segment will see losses of Rs 2 crores every month. Excerpts: Q: The ... Read more

The hospitality sector has to focus on survival first. When the pandemic subsides, Kerala can evolve a marketing campaign around how well the state has tackled the health crisis, thus boosting the confidence of the tourists. Of course, as a tourism destination there is still a lot to learn and improve. Waste management is one such area, says Riaz Ahmed, industry veteran and managing director of Abad Hotels & Resorts. With regard to Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) 2020, he said no decision has been reached. If it gets postponed, it may be good to hold it in mid 2021, he ... Read more

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), including leaders from the tourism sector, has requested the Kerala chief minister to provide a subsistence allowance of Rs 9,000 for every employee in the sector. In a virtual conference attended by Pinarayi Vijayan, the tourism industry said the moratorium for loans and interests should be extended for a minimum period of one year. A soft loan with low interest rate for the industry to meet the costs for a year, electricity to be charged on actual usage basis for the hospitality sector, GST holiday for the tourism industry for a year and road ... Read more

Kerala needs to promote itself as the safest and most hygienic tourism destination in India. Some tourists may see Kerala just as any other Indian state, but we should show them the distinction, says Rupert Evers and Olga Ostapenko, Operators of Marari Villas, Alleppey. Excerpts from an interview: Q: What will be the future of travel and tourism after Coronavirus? After the coronavirus episode we may see a completely uncertain world. International travel may be obliterated until a vaccine is developed and that will take at least 12-18 months, plus time for distribution and administration of a vaccine to the ... Read more

The calamity that we are facing, is looming large in front of us. There is a virus tsunami that we have to contend with and then there is the economic tsunami related to capital. We have to talk of survival first, before the talk of revival. The tourism sector has been the first hit, the hardest hit and it will take the longest for revival. Therefore, we need survival measures. Special support should be given to the hospitality sector that needs high capital investment, thereby creating large employment. As far as capital is concerned, the RBI governor has announced some ... Read more

The Kerala government is planning to announce a stimulus package for industries such as tourism, minister Kadakampally Surendran has said. Addressing the tourism stakeholders through a virtual meeting organised by Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), the state tourism minister said a big public relations (PR) initiative has to be taken up for the industry to come out of this present crisis. “Our PR work should improve. The message should go out that Kerala is a safe destination to visit,” minister Surendran said, reminding everyone about the solid work that the state has done to control the spread of the virus. At ... Read more

The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI) has come forward with a proposal to create a Welfare Fund Board and a Co-operative Bank for the benefit of the tourism sector. Kerala tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran has agreed to support the proposal, ATTOI President Vinod CS said. The ATTOI president had made these recommendations to the minister during a virtual conference on Tuesday which saw participation from all industry stakeholders. Kerala had to bear the brunt of multiple calamities in recent times, with the advent of the nipah virus, the floods and then the coronavirus. The state’s tourism sector has ... Read more