Category: News

David Carollo from Singapore, in a session on ‘Secrets of Search Engine Rankings’, at the International Conference on Tourism Technology, said algorithms continue to evolve, perpetually making thousands of improvements. “Those tasked with creating or optimizing content need to be aware of these modifications and their effect. To stay competitive in search in 2020, you need an optimization approach that reflects a successful search engine result,” he said. The search engine results are generally tracking tools attempting to provide an answer with algorithms that combine lots of factors: search volumes, ranking positions, conversion rate and user intent. “There are over ... Read more

Over 100 water sports enthusiasts participated in the Chaliyar River Paddle 2019, organised by Jellyfish Watersports, in association with Kerala Tourism. In 3 days we covered over 68 km and paddled all the way till Jellyfish Watersports Cheruvannur Kozhikode. It was all about getting Kerala to bounce back, along with spreading awareness about the disastrous plastic deposits around the river after the recent floods. Naval commander Abhilash Tomy and Asian Games gold medalist Shweta Shervegar were joined by a few environmentalists like Aakash Ranison, a stand paddling group and tourists from different parts of the country and abroad. It was ... Read more

The success story of transforming Kerala as an established global tourist destination, will form the theme of discussion at a unique International Conference on Global Trends in Tourism Studies organised by Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS). The seminar is organised on 28th and 29th September as part of the Pearl Jubilee Celebrations of KITTS, with the support of Kerala Tourism, India Tourism and UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan will inaugurate the programme at 9.30 am at Amphi Theatre, KITTS in the presence of Minister for Tourism Kadakampally Surendran. Hae Guk Hwang, Deputy ... Read more

At a session on ‘Impact of Influential Marketing in Tourism’ at ICTT 2019, digital marketing strategist Ellie Shedden spoke of the vitality of a thorough understanding of one’s intended audience and ultimate goals to help understand the entire gamut of the marketing plan. According to the speaker, who is founder of oop.com, more and more travelers of late prefer influencers’ opinion to advertisements. They choose agencies, hotels, airlines and even travel directions based on the advice of influencers, she noted. “Companies offering predefined descriptions of the products get much less traction compared to influencers. Today influencers manage the information themselves,” ... Read more

Traditional travel agencies need to employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) that must filter into medium-level companies as well, a global summit said here today even as it took note of how influencers in tourism manage information using sophisticated and innovative methods to serve the needs of consumers and breathe new vitality in the hospitality industry. Speakers at the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) 2019 highlighted the ways of using AI to offer personalization of guests in the hospitality industry along the whole travel process, while a couple of other sessions dealt with the importance of successful digital campaigns to attract ... Read more

Tourism trade organisations and travel firms from across India can seek the services of Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) to strengthen business at a time when technology has an increasing say in the sector, state tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran said today. Inaugurating the 3rd International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) here, he noted that Kerala’s strong startup ecosystem under KSUM has incubated several companies that have excelled in various sectors, including information technology. “I call upon the delegates here to collaborate with the IT facilities we provide so that you can improve your business strongly and steadily,” said the minister, who ... Read more

Shane Dallas started off his session at the ICTT2019 at Le Meridien, Kochi, explaining the three C’s of photography – Composition, Control and Connection. Shane has around 30 plus years of experience in photography. He has travelled across some 100 plus countries with his camera, capturing amazing frames of life. Shane Dallas advises to use a DSLR or advanced mirrorless camera and always carry a tripod, filters and cleaning equipment. He also advises not to shoot in auto mode. The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) ... Read more

“Theme-based tourism grounded on local culture attracts Chinese tourists,” said Richard Matuzevich while speaking at the International Conference on Tourism Technology, organized by Association of Tourism Trade Organizations, India at the Le Meridien, Kochi. Cultural exploration and travel experience are the No.1 driver to attract Chinese outbound tourists, he said. “Complete dining and rest facilities and adopt internationally recognized symbols in scenic area and Promoting Mobile payment could attract more Chinese tourists, especially post-80s  and post-90s. “88.3 per cent of the tourists choose online channels as the most helpful channels to obtain overseas travel information and 50.3 per cent use online ... Read more

P Balakiran, Tourism Director, Govt of Kerala, has started off his speech at the inaugural day of the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT 2019), kick-started at Le Meridien in Kochi, by reading out session notes he had taken during the previous ICTT conducted in 2017. “The information we have received from the ICTT 2017 sessions has greatly helped us while we were planning to revamp the Kerala Tourism website,” he said while addressing the audience today morning. “The budget allocated for digital marketing in the current financial year is 10 per cent, compared to the previous period’s 2 per ... Read more

Driven by brand new content and fascinating visuals, the sleek, interactive and information-laden Facebook page of Kerala Tourism has hit a new high, emerging as the most followed tourism page in South Asia and also overtaking Tourism Malaysia, Singapore & Thailand by a fair margin. The number of ‘likes’ on Kerala Tourism’s Facebook page has tripled in the past two years, touching a figure of 3,481,239 , thus eclipsing the popular social media platform of Tourism Malaysia that has 3.3 million, Visit Singapore 3.2million and Amazing Thailand 2.6 million likes. Internationally, now only three countries—Australia with 8.3 million, Go USA ... Read more

Rani George, Secretary, Kerala Tourism, has congratulated Association of Tourism Trade Organizations, India (ATTOI) for organizing International Conference on Tourism Technology. “ICTT is an excellent and innovative initiative by ATTOI,” she said while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the  ICTT 2019 held at Le Meridien, Kochi. “I did expect a much bigger turnout for such an innovative event like ICTT. I expect more tourism professionals and entrepreneurs will turn out in the coming sessions,” she said. The Secretary has congratulated ATTOI for the selection of topics for the third edition of ICTT and also said the topics are good ... Read more

International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT 2019), organized by Association of Tourism Trade Organisations, India (ATTOI), in association with Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, kick-started at the Le Meridien in Kochi today. Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Kerala, will officially inaugurate the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT 2019), at 6 pm today. The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations, India (ATTOI), in association with Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, is organizing the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) in Kochi to address the challenges related with technology faced by Indian tourism and hospitality industry. The event started ... Read more

From the Africa Hotel Investment Forum in Addis, Marriott International reinforced its commitment to Africa by announcing it expects to add 40 properties and over 8,000 rooms across the continent by the end of 2023. The company also announced signed agreements to open its first property in Cape Verde and further expand its presence in Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria. Marriott’s development pipeline through 2023 is estimated to drive investment of over $2 billion from property owners and is expected to generate over 12,000 new jobs in Africa. Marriott International’s current portfolio in Africa encompasses close to 140 properties with more ... Read more

Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Kerala, will inaugurate the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT 2019), to be held at Le Meridien on September 26. The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations, India (ATTOI), in association with Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, is all set to host the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) in Kochi to address the challenges related with technology faced by Indian tourism and hospitality industry. The third edition of ICTT, organized by ATTOI, in association with Kerala Tourism, aims at helping the players of tourism industry to stay abreast with the latest technology ... Read more

Travel and tourism remained one of the key growth drivers of Africa’s economy, contributing 8.5 per cent of the GDP in 2018; equivalent to $194.2 billion. According to the 2019 Jumia Hospitality Report Africa, this growth record placed the continent as the second-fastest growing tourism region in the world, with a growth rate of 5.6 per cent after Asia Pacific and against a 3.9 per cent global average growth rate. “Our focus is to continue showcasing Africa as a continent full of beauty and opportunity. Through this report, we want to help draw attention to the vast potential of the ... Read more