Tag: Kerala

Cheered by a surging crowd of people from various parts of the globe, the fifth round of the Champions Boat League (CBL) in the tourist city of Kochi put brakes on Tropical Titans’ winning spree, with Coast Dominators emerging first in the last match held on October 5, 2019. Tropical Titans, which had topped in all the four previous legs of the pioneering CBL, finished second here in the race where all three finalists rowed neck-and-neck from the starting point to the end, much to the thrill of the 83,000 spectators. At the end of the photo-finish, saw Raging Rowers ... Read more

Kerala Tourism is embarking on a brand building mission to make the state one of the most sought-after global destinations, said Hon. Minister for Tourism, Co-operation and Devaswom Kadakampally Surendran on Monday. Speaking after distributing prizes to the winners of the Second Clint Memorial International Children’s Online Painting Competition, the Minister said though Kerala has firmly positioned itself on world tourism map, there are still potential markets to be tapped. “One of the biggest challenges Kerala is facing in tourism sector is that it has to compete globally. We mostly try to attract visitors, who would have gone to Sri ... Read more

An increasingly competitive market warrants tourist destinations to constantly update and acquire a unique identity, while creating a story is key to promoting any product as a brand, a global conclave said today. “Innovation is pointless unless it is commercial. We must create an ecosystem conducive for growth by supporting new talents and building start-up incubators,” business information systems expert Brian Marrinan noted at the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT 2019) here. Citing an example from a small city in his native Ireland, he explained how Shannon in the province of Connacht has been a world leader in travel ... Read more

In a novel initiative, close to 200 delegates at a global meet on travel took a 30-minute breather from the proceedings this forenoon to line up under the sun for a human formation that read ‘World Tourism Day’, bringing into sharp focus the significance of September 27. Wearing caps in saffron, white and green in the order of India’s tricolor, 185 participants from various parts of the globe at the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) here symbolically blurred man-made boundaries of countries, hailing the spirit of universal oneness. Once the delegates and officials at the meadow stood in the ... Read more

China’s emerging class of young, educated and resource-rich travel lovers are passionate about visiting countries, especially in East and South Asia, but India is yet to figure in their list of top eight destinations, an international conclave was told here today. Kerala, as one of India’s leading tourist destinations, must strive to latch on this new trend of graduates from China below 35 years of age touring abroad mostly with families, Beijing-based Richard Matuzevich of the World Tourism Cities Federation told the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT). The third edition of the two-day ICTT, being organised by the Association ... Read more

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

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

“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

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

Tourism Minsters from different states today made a strong case for reduction, simplification and rationalization of various taxes and levies, including Goods and Services Tax (GST), in tourism and travel industry to attract tourists and cushion stiff global competition. “The Tourism Ministers’ conclave 2019 at Kovalam, Kerala notes with concern that the GST Council of India has imposed 28 per cent GST on hotel room tariff over Rs 7,500 and 18 per cent tax on rooms with tariffs between Rs 2,500 and Rs 7,500. This tax rate is high compared with other countries,” said a resolution unanimously adopted by the ... Read more

“India is a land that has tremendous potential when it comes to tourism. With countless destinations and experiences to choose from, India attracts millions of domestic as well as international tourists. However, the tourism industry in India is increasingly facing a lot of challenges, which include high rate and rationalization of taxes; connectivity and high air fares; service standardization and accreditation and increasing competition,” said Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Kerala while speaking at the Tourism Minister’s Conclave at The Leela Raviz Kovalam here today. The GST Council of India has imposed 28 per cent tax on hotel ... Read more

The Champions Boat League (CBL) saw its competitive spirit soaring today with fraction of seconds proving critical in races, even as Tropical Titans continued their winning spree by finishing first in the third consecutive round of the pioneering water race modelled on IPL cricket. The victors timed 4:12.11 in the day’s final race to remain atop the CBL rankings, inches ahead of Coast Dominators (4:12.90) and Mighty Oars (4:13.80) who emerged second and third respectively along the one-km track. Tropical Titans were declared ‘Nerolac Excel Fastest Team of the Day”, and earned five extra points with the best timing of ... Read more

Chaliyar River Paddle’ is the 6th edition of this annual event by Jellyfish Water Sports and supported by Kerala Tourism. The three-day paddling event held from September 20th to September 22nd, 2019 targets water sports enthusiasts, nature lovers, tourists, children and people from all walks of life. Promoting water sports like kayaking, SUPing, and canoeing will help build the connection, turning more and more youngsters and tourists into evangelists of clean waters. “Chaliyar River Paddle has been focused on saving our rivers from urban pollution and promote recreational kayaking for everyone. Recently Kerala State has witnessed repetitive flooding and most ... Read more

A colourful cultural pageantry will be taken out in the city on September 16, to mark the finale of Onam Celebrations that showcased the best of Kerala’s art and performing traditions in multiple venues for a week. Hon’ble Governor Arif Mohammad Khan will flag off the procession, organized by the Kerala Tourism Department, at Manveeyam Veedhi, near the Raj Bhavan at 5pm. Hon. Minister for Tourism, Co-operation and Devaswom, Kadakampally Surendran will hand over the musical instrument ‘Kombu’ that proclaims the commencement of the procession, which will wend its way through the thoroughfares of the city for the next two ... Read more

Kerala Tourism’s week-long cultural extravaganza to mark this year’s Onam celebrations will kick off on September 10, showcasing the state’s vibrant classical and folk dances, modern art and performing traditions at multiple venues in the state capital and various District Centres. As part of the Onam celebrations, the capital city will also host the State Tourism Ministers’ Conclave, to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on September 16, the concluding day of the festival. Union Minister of State for Tourism and   Culture, Prahlad Singh Patel will be the chief guest at the meet at Leela Raviz, Kovalam. Besides ... Read more