Category: Kerala

In a bid to expand its presence in the Mediterranean countries, Kerala Tourism has participated in the International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) in Tel Aviv P Bala Kiran, Tourism Director led the State delegation at the two-day IMTM held last week. IMTM is the largest annual professional tourism fair of its kind in the Eastern Mediterranean and the official and only professional exhibition for the tourism trade market in Israel. “In the highly competitive global marketplace, we need to scout for new source markets to attract tourists. Our participation in a prestigious event such as IMTM will act as a ... Read more

Kerala’s much awaited Champions Boat League (CBL) is scheduled on 10th August 2019. The IPL style boat league was planned to conduct last year, but postponed due the unprecedented rain and floods. The event envisages to make the state’s hugely popular boat races into a world-class experience for tourists and creating an international sporting atmosphere for participating clubs and their oarsmen, CBL will start during the festive season of Onam in August with the prestigious Nehru Trophy Boat Race in Alappuzha and end with the President’s Trophy Boat Race in Kollam on November 1, with 12 races during the intervening ... Read more

People in Kochi can have a travel in the world’s oldest running steam locomotive and become part of history with the Indian Railways all set to operate the 164-year old ‘EIR 21 Express’ on the  8 km Ernakulam Junction-Cochin Harbour Terminus section on February 16 and 17. The 164 year old ‘EIR 21 Express’ – the world’s oldest running steam locomotive To travel from Ernakulam Jn. to Cochin Harbour Terminus by this Heritage Special Train, hauled by the world’s oldest running steam locomotive – EIR 21, foreign nationals will have to pay a fare of Rs 1000.  For adult Indian ... Read more

Those who look for a bit of silence and to be free from the hustles of the city life can opt for a retreat to the bamboo hut near the Thattekkadu Bird Sanctuary. The hut, an initiative by three friends- Sudheesh Thattekkad, Shalini Binu and Noby Paulose- is completely made of Bamboo, with palm leaf roofing. There are three beds in the hut, which can accommodate 6 persons. The floor is coated with cow dung as in ancient style Kerala homes. Three bathrooms equipped with modern sanitary fittings are also there. There is an upper deck in the hut, from ... Read more

Kerala’s tourism revenue crossed Rs 36,528 crore during 2018, showing an increase of Rs 2,874.33 crore over last year, despite adverse situations like nipah, floods and hartals. More than 16.7 million tourists visited Kerala in 2018, compared to 15.76 million the previous year, which include domestic and foreign tourists, recording an increase of 5.93 per cent. Of the total footfalls, 1.09 million were foreign tourists. The share of revenue from foreign visitors touched Rs 8,764.46 crore. There was also a boost in arrival of domestic tourists to the state. United Kingdom (UK) accounted for the largest number of foreign visitors, ... Read more

Chefs of Uday Samudra Group has made a world record in making the biggest miscellaneous dessert pudding using residual foods. They have prepared a ‘city of pudding’, weighing 1622 Kgs, which depicted landscapes, water bodies, airports etc. The miscellaneous dessert pudding is cake pudding that used crumbs from sandwich cookies and pudding in combination with other ingredients to create a dessert that has a different amazing look of a mini city. The event was a reminder for those who waste foods in hotels and restaurants. The chefs of UDS set forth a message that the residual parts of desserts can ... Read more

Kasaragod, which has been behind the limelight of the Kerala tourism sector for years, has made a major come back in 2018. As per the statistics of the State Tourism Department, Kasaragod district ranked first in the number of foreign tourists with 269 per cent growth from the previous year. Kollam district, which is in the second place, recorded 45 per cent growth. Bakel Fort, Kasargod In 2017, just 1,115 foreign tourists arrived in Kasaragod district; which has increased has increased to 4,122 in 2018. From among the foreign tourists visited Kasargod in 2018, 2,472 were through the ‘Smile’ initiatives. ... Read more

Expanding the brand into Kerala, Marriott International has opened Four Points by Sheraton Kochi Infopark. Nestled in one of Kerala’s largest IT hubs and located within close proximity to several corporate parks, Four Points by Sheraton Kochi Infopark is the ideal destination for any business traveller. The hotel has 218 spacious and well-appointed guestrooms including 23 suites, which reflect the brand’s promise of integrating timeless classics with modern details. “We are delighted to announce the opening of Four Points by Sheraton Kochi Infopark. Business travellers to Kochi are assured of a seamless stay, the hotel’s spaces and facilities are smart and flexible, ... Read more

Kerala’s tourism model of Responsible Tourism (RT) has been lauded by international expert, stating that RT can take the state to a high rank in the attainment of the globally accepted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. “The most important thing for me is the success of the Responsible Tourism Mission and the way in which local communities have been enabled to earn from tourism as an additional livelihood. Local communities don’t stop what they were doing before but have an additional source of income,” said Harold Goodwin, Founder and Managing Director of the International Center for Responsible Tourism. Professor ... Read more

To give a boost to the flood-ravaged tourism industry of the state, the Union Ministry of Tourism will organize a ‘Cultural Festival of India’ at Thekkinkadu Maidanam, Thrissur and Amal Jyothi Engineering College, Kanjirappally. The festival at Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala, will be held on February 23, 2019. Art forms of 10 states, including Kerala will be staged on the occasion, in which around 150 artists from different parts of the state are expected to participate. The cultural festival of India event will be held at Amal Jyoti College on February 24, 209. “The tourism industry in Kerala ... Read more

The 150-km long Gavi – Vagamon – Thekkadi tourism project, which was sanctioned in 2015, is all ready and will be inaugurated on February 17, 2019. “The work on the Gavi – Vagamon – Thekkadi tourism project has been completed at a cost of Rs 76.55 crore and its inauguration will be held on February 17. A project for a spiritual circuit connecting 133 shrines across the state will be launched on February 16,” said Union Minister for Tourism K J Alphons. The circuit will have a host of new facilities such as trekking, archery and rock climbing. In Vagamon-Thekkady area, there ... Read more

With an aim to boost the Kerala Tourism, the state tourism minister has requested the Union Minister for Tourism Alphons K J to include the flood-affected state in the Incredible India campaign. “In order to boost the Kerala tourism industry what actually is needed is to give maximum publicity and marketing highlighting the well placed state of post flood Kerala Tourism. For this purpose, I request you to include Kerala Tourism in Tourism Ministry’s Incredible India campaign,” reads the letter written by Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran addressing Union Tourism Minister Alphons K J. The Kerala Budget presented in the ... Read more

Union Minister of State for Tourism Alphons K J has laid the foundation stone for the first phase of Swadesh Darshan development works at places associated with Sree Narayana Guru. Alphons has inaugurated the Sivagiri Tirthankar Circuit at a function held at the Sivagiri Mutt in Varkala. The Sivagiri Mutt will have a tourist facilitation centre, enquiry room, waiting room, first aid, kiosks, clock room (236 Sqm), community dining hall with kitchen and audio-visual hall to be constructed at a cost of Rs 14.92 crore. Chempazhanthy Gurukulam will have tourist facilitation centre, enquiry room, waiting room, first aid, kiosks, clock room, cafeteria and ... Read more

The newly operational Kannur International airport has been changing the perspective of tourism in northern Kerala. In order to give the right direction for the development of tourism in the Malabar region and to exploit the unexplored areas, a Tourism Fraternity Meeting was held in Kannur on 7th February 2019. The event was organized by Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL) and Bekal Resources Development Corporation Limited (BRDC) in association with the North Malabar Chamber of Commerce. Questions as to how to utilize the Kannur international airport for exploring the tourism potential of north Malabar and the nearby Kodagu in Karnataka, ... Read more

Setting a new benchmark on social media platforms, the number of followers on the official Facebook page of Kerala Tourism has now increased to over two and a half million followers, securing the top position among the portals of any such tourism departments in the country. Photo Courtesy: Kerala Tourism One of the first tourism departments in India to have an online presence, the Facebook page, packed with fascinating information, presents to the followers some of the most engaging visual treats of Kerala’s landscape. Innovative tourism products and experiences of Kerala such as ‘Responsible Tourism’ and ‘Village Life Experiences’ form ... Read more