Category: Kerala

Tourism industry is one which suffers the most due to the sudden and recurring harthals. In a decision coming as a great relief to the tourism industry, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the tourist sector will be exempted from the harthals and strikes at a whole-party meeting on Tuesday. The meeting led by Chief Minister raised concern over the dip in tourism sector due to frequent harthals. The meeting stressed that wrong message about state is being send to the tourists during these harthals. All political parties attended the meeting extended welcomed this move and extended full support to ... Read more

Kerala Tourism’s ‘Project Muziris’ has been chosen the Best Innovative Tourism Project at the Global Star Awards 2018. Noushad P M, Managing Director of the Muziris Projects has received the award at the event held in New Delhi. Project Muziris was picked for the award as it has added to Kerala’s array of attractions. Project Muziris will help reinstate the historical and cultural significance of the legendary port of Muziris, which makes a part of Central Kerala, the award committee said. The Government of Kerala has initiated the Muziris Heritage Project to reinstate the historical and cultural significance of the legendary ... Read more

In an effort to uplift Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple as a global pilgrimage centre, revamp plans has been proposed by the Singapore based not-for-profit organization, the Global Citizen Forum (GCF) and its Founder-President & Global Thought Leader Dr M, adopting the values of Advaita and One World. The new plans include the overall development of the temple including restoration and the display of temple wealth with the temple premises and on shrines. It is believed that the restored, decorated look of Sree Padmanabha deity will generate whopping revenue up to USD 1 billion every year and it’s expected to go ... Read more

Wayanad is unique for its lush greenery and serene environment. Considered as one of the best tourist spots in Kerala and South India, it attracts a great number of tourists every year. However, the flow of visitors to the destination is less compared to the other famous spots in Kerala. So, the Tourism Department is preparing a tourist master plan which will improve the tourism sector of Wayanad and will lead to its overall expansion. The master plan is set in a way that will supply the needs of the destination till 2050. The first step of the master plan ... Read more

In the wake of the recent death of Latvian tourist in the state, Kerala Tourism Department has decided to strengthen the tourism police force in the state, and is also planning to recruit more women to the force. Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, has informed informed this after a meeting held with senior tourism and police officials. The Tourism Department and the Home Department have held joint consultations and arrived at plans to effectively ensure safety and security of tourists at various destinations in the state. “The recruitment of more women to the tourism police force is among the many ... Read more

As part of its agri-tourism project in the Chembakassery area of Alappuzha, the Pattanakkad panchayat is planning to set up a wind park in the village. The wind park is expected to be open to the public by August 2018. The panchayat is planning to begin the work on the project by the end of May. The park will be constructed close to the Chembakassery paddy fields on the Padmakshi Kavala-Andhakaranazhi road. The park would be set up as an elderly- and youth-friendly park to attract tourists. Tenders have already been awarded for constructing benches, swings, lights, and other related works. ... Read more

Global timeshare firm RCI has recently published a report which studied holiday and vacation patterns of 50,000 RCI members in India, and found that there was a 13 per cent growth in the number of Indians taking vacations abroad in 2017-18. The report,  found that the US was the most preferred destination in 2017-18 while for those headed for Europe, Switzerland and Spain were the top choices. The report also said that there is an 8 per cent growth in domestic travel, with Goa being the preferred choice in 2017-18, followed by Coorg and Munnar. Among the South-East Asian countries, the top picks were ... Read more

ATTOI (Association of Tourism Trade Organizations, India), in association with Ministry of Ayush and Kerala Tourism, is organising a tour of yoga professionals from across the world to the birthplace of yoga. The 10-day educational tour, Yoga Ambassadors Tour, is organised as part of the various programmes organised by the ministry on the International Yoga Day with the support of Kerala Tourism. Yoga Tour operators, Wellness Magazine professionals, and Yoga Teachers from across the world are being invited for familiarizing the Global audience about Kerala and it’s richness. The Yoga Ambassadors were selected by a team of experts based on specific ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Jinson Abraham With an aim to combine tourism promotion, entertainment, a spirit of adventure, and an awareness of healthy living and physical activity, the Kannur district administration will kick start a unique initiative, the Month of Adventure, on May 6, 2018. Four consecutive Sundays of May, beginning on May 6, would be dedicated to the promotion of various adventure events in Kannur. Kannur district sports council and the district administration organising a cycling marathon from Kannur to the Muzhappilangad beach on May 6. Anyone who has a cycle can participate in the marathon. The next Sunday, May 13, will see ... Read more

The District Tourism Department planning to introduce outdoor sports promotion facilities on the Kozhikode beach. Plans are that a football and volleyball courts to be developed along the beach. There will also be an exclusive track for cycling. Looking at the developments, it is sure that the department is planning to convert the famous Kozhikode beach into the first modern sports beach in the state. Two private companies, The Earth and Space Art, would prepare the master plan for the project and other allied tourism development plans in the city, they said. A water tourism circuit linking Elathur, Canolly Canal, ... Read more

The long-awaited ‘neelakurinji’ season is all set to begin from August to November.  Munnar town and nearby areas are preparing to receive the tens of thousands of visitors who would be flocking the hills of Munnar to experience the ‘neelakurinji’ season. As per the official data, around eight lakh visitors are expected in Munnar during the ‘neelakurinji’ season. To control the traffic, regulations will be imposed in Munnar town between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The Munnar grama panchayat and the police have already removed the roadside vendors and traffic barriers have been constructed on the two sides. The visitor’s vehicles ... Read more

After setting the cricket pitch afire with super star batting in IPL, the West Indian star performer Chris Gayle is cooling down in the tranquil backwaters of Kerala. Enjoying a holiday with his family at The Raviz Kollam, he was trying his hands in fishing in the Kerala backwaters. Gayle is accompanied by his wife, daughter, and mother-in-law. He did check in to the hotel on April 29 and would be staying in the hotel for a couple of days. The cricketer and his family went for a joyride with his family on a houseboat in the backwaters. He is also ... Read more

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has opened the Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty, the third Grand Hyatt branded hotel in India. “Once the Lulu Convention centre is completed, it will be an employment opportunity to atleast 4000 people. Altogether, Lulu employs around 25000 Keralites across its various units,” said Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala while inaugurating the project. Whereas Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, who presided over the inaugural function said he would like to see atleast 100 such convention centres across the country. “I want more roads in Kerala, especially to Kannur and Malappuram ... Read more

Kerala Tourism Director P Balakiran IAS, has visited the Shanghumukham Beach in Thiruvananthapuram to evaluate the safety of the beach. Strict warnings were issued by the authorities day before to the visitors from entering the beach in wake of the high tide and bad weather warnings issued by the MET department. As instructed by the Tourism Director, employees including lifeguards took part in the DTPC works to enhance safety at the beach. Warning boards were also established in order to prevent the entry of tourists and locals to the beach premises. Additionally, barricades were also installed at the danger zones. ... Read more

In order to ensure quality of services, Kerala Tourism is bringing out a classification system for enterprises practicing Responsible Tourism by May 2018. The pilot project was launched in Kovalam, Kumarakom, Thekkady, and Wayanad in 2008, and is now getting ready to implement in all the 14 districts in Kerala. Responsible Tourism Mission has worked out a criteria for the classification system in line with the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC). The norms have been customised for Kerala in view of the experiences of RT initiatives in the last 10 years. The classification system, a voluntary procedure that assesses, audits, and monitors, is an ... Read more