Category: Kerala

The stall of Kerala Tourism at the Arabian Travel Market was inaugurated by Navdeep Suri, Ambassador of India to UAE. “Impressive projection of Incredible India at ATM Dubai. Also, good to see strong tourism promotion drive by Kerala Tourism,” Navdeep Suri tweeted after inaugurating the stall. Kerala Tourism has succeeded in creating an impact with its participation in the ongoing Arabian Travel Market, with the state’s tourism delegation led by Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Cooperation and Devaswoms, doing its best to be noticed and appreciated on the global platform. The state tourism minister held interactions with the local tourism players and ... Read more

People across the world have immense love for these giant animals and Keralities stand a couple of steps ahead in showing the love for the animal. Along with a large population of wild elephants, Kerala has more than five hundred and fifty domesticated elephants at present, which are mostly owned by temples and individuals. It is also the state animal, with being featured in the state emblem, adopted from the erstwhile Royal Arms of Travancore and Cochin. Almost till the 19th Century, having a pet elephant was considered a prestige for Keralites. It was more like owning a BMW/Audi or a Rolls ... Read more

Liga Skromane, the Latvian tourist who has been missing from Thiruvananthapuram, is believed to be dead. Liga’s sister Ilze has identified her body and the dresses the foreign tourist was wearing at the time she was missing. But, the police is yet to confirm the death as the bosy was spotted in a putrified state. The head of the body was found lying away from the rest of it, in a marshy spot. The police department will conduct a forensic examination, including DNA sample matching to confirm that the body is that of the 33-year-old foreigners’. The body, which is assumed ... Read more

Thiruvananthapuram-based Vowstay Specialty Stays, has launched VowStay app, an exclusive platform that facilitates hotel booking anywhere in Kerala. The app enables customers to book budget, comfort, premium, and luxury hotel rooms at the best competitive rates, the VowStay app provides an option to choose hotels, resorts, home stays etc, as per the travelers’ choice. The new app lists out all specialty stays available across Kerala and travellers will be able to choose their hotels of choice as per their interest. “The foremost advantage of the VowStay app is that it helps in exploring destinations. “A traveler can explore all destinations ... Read more

Government of Kerala has reconstituted the State Tourism Advisory Committee headed by Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, for the period of 2018-2020. The new committee has four new members from Thiruvananthapuram along with the existing 18 members from the Travel and tourism industry in the outgoing committee constituted in 2016. The state Tourism Advisory committee was constituted in 2012 to advise and formulate the policy for Destination development, Product development, marketing strategies, market research etc. Rani George IAS, Secretary, Tourism will be the Vice Chairman and P Bala Kiran IAS, Director of Kerala Tourism will be the Convener of the 28 ... Read more

With an aim to woo more Arabian tourists to the state, Kerala Tourism will participate in the prestigious Arabian Travel Market, scheduled to be held from April 22 to 25, in Dubai. The Kerala delegation for the Arabian Travel Market will be led by Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Cooperation and Devaswoms. “Kerala Tourism’s presence at the Arabian Travel Mart augurs well for the tourism industry in the state, considering the potential it has to offer to travelers looking to include Kerala in their annual tour itineraries. Further, the B2B meets that will be organized in various places in the ... Read more

In the wake of recent accidents and safety concerns it has raised, the authorities have issued a set of fresh guidelines for houseboats in Alappuzha. The new guidelines, issued to prevent accidents, directs the houseboat owners to increase the height of railings at the lobby and rear-end of boats with seating facilities. The houseboat owners are directed to increase the height of the railings in 60 days. Safety instructions should also be displayed in multiple languages on the houseboats. Apart from the written materials, the crew of the boat, are instructed to give safety instructions and do’s and don’ts to the ... Read more

We have heard of all kinds of tourism by now. And, this time its not just a fancy affair, tourism for some of the most brilliant minds across the world. Kozhikode is all set to tap the potential of becoming a quiz tourism centre as it is about to host one of the biggest quiz festivals in the world in June. The eight-day festival organised by Quiz Kerala, the first registered quiz society in Kerala, as part of the 16th edition of the annual World Quizzing Championship organised by the London-based International Quizzing Association (IQA) would commence on June 2. ... Read more

Kerala has unseen marvels hidden in the light of popular destinations which could be developed as tourism hotspots, said Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Kerala, while inaugurating the Munnar Tourism Partnership Meet 2018 at the Le Maritime Hotel in Kochi. He has also urged the tourism stakeholders to take good care to prevent environmental degradation  and preserve Kerala’s rich biodiversity. The minister also pointed out that it is not concrete jungles that a tourist would look for when they come to Kerala. “Local residents too must benefit from the sector, thereby furthering the cause of responsible tourism. Village tourism packages could help ... Read more

As part of regulating the tourism activity and ensuring safety of visitors, the authorities have decided to give badges to the drivers of multi-utility vehicles (MUVs) offering off-road safaris to Kolukkumala in Idukki district of Kerala. A meeting called by Devikulam sub collector V R Premkumar had directed the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) to inspect the condition of MUVs offering such services in Idukki. The meeting also decided to operate MUV safari at Kolukumala under the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC). A team of officials lead by Idukki DTPC secretary Jayan P Vijayan had earlier visited Kolukkumala and reviewed the off-road ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has gone one step ahead to mainstream the transgender community and empower the differently-abled by posting them as tourism resource persons (TRP) under the responsible tourism mission. Kerala Tourism will post 1,000 TRPs as part of a responsible tourism initiative to organise tourism grama sabhas and promote the destination at the grassroots level. A transperson and two differently abled persons each will be among the TRPs to be roped in for the 14 districts. No previous experience is needed for those from the transgender community and the differently abed to become a TRP, rather a pass in Plus Two/ ... Read more

The Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission is crafting a new web portal which will enable art lovers to make online booking of performances.  Performers will put up their work along with the details of the artists on the site. The portal is aimed at promoting local art forms, including dance, music, via online marketing. Artists who are interested in being part of the initiative can register at the mission’s district offices. “The unique initiative will offer a digital platform for artists to reach out to wider audiences. It will also make it easier for programme organisers to get their favourite artist ... Read more

Novotel launches Novotel Kochi Infopark in the IT hub of Infopark in Kakkanad. The hotel features 120 rooms and eight suites 4,000sq ft of banquet/meeting spaces, with free, high-speed wi-fi across the property. Novotel Kochi Infopark also houses a gym, a rooftop infinity pool and a spa. The restaurant, The Square, offers standard multiple cuisines with a focus on grills and pizzas, with very few local dishes. Novotel also offers two bars in the property – The Bar and The Sun Deck Bar. The Bar’ is your perfect destination to catch-up with a drink and snacks. ‘The Sun Deck Bar’ is your perfect ... Read more

Two weeks after Latvian national Liga Skromane went missing from Kovalam, the State Government has sought the help of Navy and Air Force for underwater search in the area. As per State Govt’s request, Air Force transport aircraft AN-32 from Sulur Airforce Station reached Kochi and transported naval assets from Kochi Naval Command to Trivandrum on 1st April afternoon. Thereafter the naval assets weighing around 1000 kg in two trucks were transported from Air Force Technical Area, Shangumugam  to Kovalam. Southern Naval command mobilised Gemini inflatable boats, under-water sonar and 6 deep sea divers for the search around Kovalam area.  The divers have started the ... Read more

Kerala recorded the highest number of tourism arrivals in the past nine-year period, with a 10.94 per cent rise compared with the figures of last year. An increase of 15.54 lakh new tourists – domestic and foreign travellers combined – was recorded this year, with footfalls going up to 1,57,65,390 in 2017, as against 1,42,10,954 in 2016. Domestic tourism arrivals also grew in 2017 and recorded the highest number in the past nine-year period, posting an 11.39 per cent rise compared to the previous year.  An increase of 15 lakh new domestic tourists was recorded this year, with footfalls going ... Read more