Category: Kerala

Just two more days for the World Cup 2018 finals and, the FIFA World Cup has the young and old across the world in the grip of football fever. Back in Kerala, along with the screams for Harry Kane or Luka Modrić, the people are woohooing for a sixty year old truck drivers moves. The Kerala Tourism department, as part of its campaign to woo tourists, has launched the video of James PH, who shows off his impressive football skills. Called Soccer at 60, the video was posted on the tourism department’s Facebook page and has gone viral. Soccer 60 shows ... Read more

The programmes to go along with the much awaited International Ayush Conclave (IAC 2018), which is scheduled to conduct from 7th to 11th September 2018, has just been finalsed. And, Ayush Health Travel Bazar is already holding great hopes. The Bazar will have representations from different Ayurvedic Treatment Centers in Kerala, international tour operators in the wellness industry and media persons working in the sector etc. Ayush Health Travel Bazar will discuss how to develop the infrastructure for Ayush-based health tourism and the accumulation of resources for the same. The interaction between tour operators and the service providers is expected to ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Balan Madhavan Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthianus) blooms only once in every 12 years and, the hills of Munnar will soon be painted in a hues of blue. Kerala Tourism has launched a microsite http://www.keralatourism.org/neelakurinji exclusively to welcome the kurinji season. The new microsite offers you in-depth insights into the ‘Neelakurinji Phenomenon’ through photographs of the blooming in 1982, 1994 and 2006, video clips of the Kurinji and other nearby attractions, the best routes to reach the flowering site at Rajamala, travel writers who share their experiences of having witnessed the flowering in the previous years and also scholarly articles on preserving ... Read more

Epic views abound of the mist-cloaked mountains of the Western Ghats © Naufal MQ / Getty Images Lonely Planet has just revealed its 2018 Best in Asia list, a collection of 10 of the best destinations to visit in the continent for the year. And, Western Ghats of India, finds a place in the top 5 of the list. “Asia is such a vast and diverse continent for anyone dreaming of an escape,” said Lonely Planet’s Asia-Pacific Media Spokesperson Chris Zeiher. The panel of travel experts has named Busan, South Korea as its top pick, describing it as “eclectic” and “vibrant”. ... Read more

Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty sets the destination mood right with the grand luxury spa at the property – Śāntata. The new spa, spread across 22,000 sq.ft, is ready with its carefully crafted treatments to ensure wellness and rejuvenation to the guests. Śāntata features seven treatment rooms, relaxation rooms, spa locker rooms, crystal steam room, sauna, plunge pool, ice bath fountain, experience shower, member’s lounge, indoor lap pool and a hydrotherapy area. The spa focuses on traditional Ayurveda and contemporary international treatments, offering a selection of massages, facials, manicures, and unique wellness packages. Relaxation Lounge The signature series of Śāntata is ... Read more

Travel restrictions imposed to the vehicles going through the Wayanad ghat has lifted temporarily, as informed by Kozhikode District Collector U V Jose. The travel restriction was due to landslides on the road followed by heavy rains. Now the restriction is being relaxed temporarily as the rain has subsided. All vehicles including tourist buses can pass through the ghat; however travel restriction for goods trucks will continue. In order to monitor the current situation, a meeting was held at Thamarassery Thaluk Office, presided by the District Collector. Officials from the Police, Vehicle Department, Public Works Department, Highway Authority etc., participated in ... Read more

  The draft bill of Tourism Regulatory Authority of Kerala (TRAK) put forward by the Kerala State Government should be revised with some major amendments as suggested by the proponents of tourism industry. It was raised from the meeting of Confederation of Accredited Tour Operators (CATO) on 6th July 2018 at Le Meridian Hotel, Kochi. “Mandatory registration for all those working in the tourism industry is welcomed. However, some of the conditions in the draft bill cannot be accepted as it is,” opined the CATO members. The main points set forth by the meeting are: The term ‘tourist’ should be ... Read more

Union Minister of State for Tourism Alphons Kannanthanam, told the media that the Central Government is willing to build a high-security underground museum near the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram so that devotees can have ‘darshan’ of the treasure. The minister has met Travancore royal family members Pooyam Thirunal Gowri Parvathi Bayi and Avittom Thirunal Aditya Varma on Sunday and expressed his ministry’s willingness to bear the cost of the museum, which is proposed to be Rs 300 crores. “The museum will be in the typical Kerala architectural style with high security system better than that of the Reserve Bank ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has always been lauded for its thought-provoking, creative social media campaigns. And, this time, the Tourism Department is competing in SAMMIE- Best Social Media Brand Award. Announcing this, P Bala Kiran IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism, has tweeted saying,” Our Kerala tourism is a big contender in the running for the prestigious SAMMIE- Best Social Media Brand Award, this year. Together, let us ensure Kerala Tourism’s win by casting our votes right away. Everyone, flock this way to vote: https://newsfeedsmartapps.com/BSMB/2018/index.php#/userSelection/2101020858/Travel/Kerala%20Tourism“. The second edition of Best Social Media Brands is looking for human brands, managed to have disrupted a fairly new ... Read more

A private tourist bus operator – Chikkoos Travels- at Varkala in Kerala has painted his buses with the pictures of famous porn stars Johny Sins, Keiran Lee, Ava Addam, Mia Malkova and Mia Khalifa. A twitter user Alok Sharma tweeted the pictures of the buses saying, “The tourist buses in Kerala are way too BOLD with their art. From JohnnySins to KeiranLee AvaAddams to ALETTAOCEANXXXX to MiaMalkova and miakhalifa they’ve got’em all covered. Its like Brazzers on Wheels!” Lots of people shared and re-tweeted the message and in due course it came into the notice of Johny Sins himself. In ... Read more

The Chief Minister with Water Resources Minister Mathew T Thomas and Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran reviews the progress of the works – (Photo Courtesy – Hindu) The man-made Parvathy-Puthanar canal, created in the 18th and 19th centuries as a water route linking Thiruvananthapuram to Kollam and beyond, has been covered with weeds and debris and become a dirt canal. As per the decision of the cabinet to re-establish the canal to make it navigable, cleaning works are in progress in the canal. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has visited the work site on 5th July 2018 to monitor the progress of ... Read more

“Nissan’s arrival to Kerala is a big boost for us. Following Nissan, a few other top-level IT companies such as Microsoft and Tech Mahindra have also expressed their interest to come to Kerala. This will change the face of Kerala’s IT sector. It’s going to change Kerala’s image entirely,” said Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala. He was talking to a spokesperson form the Delhi based daily ‘livemint’.

Coming out from the grip of Nipah infection, Kozhikode will host the 6th edition of Malabar River Festival (MRF) in which Olympians, world champions and top athletes of the Indian kayaking community will display their dexterous paddling expertise to vie for top honours and handsome cash prizes. Billed as the largest white water kayaking in Asia, this years event, which will also have the distinction of being the first World Kayaking Championship, is to be held at Thusharagiri in Kozhikode from July 18 to 22 in which 25 teams from around the world will participate. With Rs 15 lakh as ... Read more

The draft of Tourism Regulatory Authority Bill, aimed to monitor and control the tourism industry in Kerala, is getting ready. The final bill will be enacted after considering the comments and suggestions of the industry experts. Tourism News Live has received a copy of the draft bill. The Regulatory Authority will have the power to take corrective measures on its own, or as per complaints received about any irregularities in the industry. It can take any suitable action, including imposing fines on organizations running without approval from any competent authorities. If an irregularity is found for the first time, a ... Read more

Image for representative purpose only Airports in Kerala to have ‘Fly Buses’, to carry passengers from the airports to nearby cities. The 42-seater air conditioned bus service by Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will operate from Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin and Karipur International airports to the nearest cities. The Minister for Transport, A K Saseendran will inaugurate the service at Thiruvananthapuram Airport today by 4.30 pm. The Fly Bus will operate every 45 minutes round the clock from the premier airport of the State in the capital to East Fort and Thampanoor, every 30 minutes from Cochin international airport in Nedumbaserry ... Read more