Category: Kerala

Exactly a month ago, the Indian government had shelved the Sree Narayana Guru Spiritual Circuit project, in a major reversal for Kerala. No reason was provided for such a step at that time. Kerala could not accept this move and decided to pursue the matter with the Central government. Finally, on Monday, the Centre decided to retain the spiritual circuit, drawing curtains on a controversy which had the potential to snowball into a larger political crisis. But there is still a hitch. While the Centre has informed that the Rs 69.47-crore Sree Narayana Guru spiritual circuit project would be retained ... Read more

Kerala Tourism, which is banking on domestic tourism in the wake of the ban on international air travel, has a hurdle to cross. The district of Thiruvananthapuram, which is home to quite a few travel destinations including the likes of Kovalam, Shangumugham and the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, has become a Covid-19 hotspot.   Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran has expressed anxiety over the transmission of coronavirus in Thiruvananthapuram, especially within the city. He stated that the current situation does not demand closing down the city but the residents must adhere to the guidelines issued by the government. With the coronavirus community transmission ... Read more

Eighteen international repatriation flights are expected to bring 3,630 expatriates to the Kochi airport today. Air India will operate a flight from Paris via Delhi and Azur Air is scheduled to operate a direct flight from Kiev in Ukraine. Repatriation flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Kuwait, Doha, Muscat, Paris and Ukraine are also scheduled to arrive on Saturday. On Friday, 21 flights brought 3,960 passengers at the airport. Rapid antibody tests were conducted on 85 passengers who arrived till 6pm. Meanwhile IndiGo airlines cancelled its Riyadh flight while SpiceJet rescheduled its Ras Al Khaimah flight to Saturday. The ... Read more

People should keep track of their travel history as it would help in contact tracing in the event of them getting infected by coronavirus, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday. Noting that the state disaster management authority has warned of a spike in the number of active cases in the southern state by the end of August, Vijayan said people should cooperate with the government in COVID-19 mitigation efforts. “People need to note down their travel history in a ‘break the chain’ diary or their phones, including the vehicle in which they had travelled, the vehicle number, the time, ... Read more

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday announced a fresh set of mandatory rules for expats wanting to return to the state from other countries. Expats returning from countries with provisions for COVID-19 testing are expected to take the tests and carry the certificates with them. The tests should be taken no earlier than 72 hours before boarding the flight, said the Chief Minister. The passengers returning from the UAE need to carry their pre-flight COVID-19 test certificates with them. Those returning from Oman and Bahrain need to wear N-95 masks, face shield, gloves and use sanitizers frequently. However, all ... Read more

The Kerala government has said it is in talks with India’s central government on mandatory pre-flight COVID-19 testing for expats. A decision in this regard is expected shortly. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said while the state is looking at enforcing the pre-flight testing from June 25 for chartered and private flights, a final decision on the same will be taken only in consultation with the central authorities. Of the 2,711 positive cases since May 4, 2,595 cases are of people who returned to Kerala from either abroad or other parts of the country. The Chief Minister had earlier written ... Read more

With the coronavirus community transmission looming, the Thiruvananthapuram city corporation has clamped down on travel, by restricting key entry points and enhancing patrolling of affected areas. The functioning of Palayam and Chalai markets and major shopping centres will be affected as shops can only be opened on alternate days. The police will control the entry of people into public places. This could affect domestic tourists to a great extent.  The decision will be applicable to malls and supermarkets also. The city has decided to strengthen monitoring of fishermen going to Tamil Nadu shores.  All shops should have washing areas and sanitisers ... Read more

With Covid-19 cases continuing to rise steadily in Kerala, the government has decided to discourage travel of aged people and children below 10 years and enforce reverse quarantine vigorously. On Monday, the state reported 138 fresh cases taking the tally to 3,310, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office said. In the last three days, the state has reported more than 100 Covid-19 cases daily. The government is worried because a large number of expatriates from Persian Gulf countries are expected in the coming days. More than 80% of recent Covid-19 cases in the state were expatriates or people who came from ... Read more

DJ Hector It’s a trickle. But that’s enough for now. Green shoots have started to dot the domestic tourism map of Kerala, with guests braving the pandemic to light up their travel plans. Let’s take the example of Gokul and Suramya, a honeymooning couple, who decided to drive all the way from Thiruvananthapuram to Wayanad to beat the lockdown blues. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, considering the surge in coronavirus cases not just in Kerala but across India itself. Their parents and relatives had suggested some places near Thiruvananthapuram for their stay. A few others did not want ... Read more

Raj Gopaal Iyer, CEO of UDS Group of Hotels, believes Kerala should have the right marketing strategies to showcase medical and leisure tourism. The state government should come up with a proper agenda/plan to submit before the Central government, thereby helping employees retain their jobs, he says. But the biggest problem he believes is the poor air connectivity to Thiruvananthapuram, with tourists ending up spending more on airfare than accommodation. Excerpts: Q: When we spoke a few weeks ago, the coronavirus crisis was on its ascendency. But now we are in a phase where the virus is spreading at an ... Read more

The MC Road in Kerala is one of the crucial pathways that lead to many tourist destinations including eco-tourism centres, waterfalls, popular resorts and religious destinations. However, it has also been accident prone. The Kerala government has now decided to take steps to make it accident free. It has initiated a new Rs 147 crore project aimed at safety, on this 80km stretch. The safe corridor demonstration on MC Road is part of the ongoing World Bank-aided Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) that was commissioned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The busy two-lane, two-way corridor spread over Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and ... Read more

Medical testimonials are going to be a must to fly to Kerala from June 20. All passengers have to carry certificates stating that they are Covid-19 free, for the flights to get operational clearance. The policy applies to government sponsored Vande Bharat Mission and chartered flights equally, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at a news briefing on Wednesday. Significantly, the chief minister said the state would have no issues in providing no-objection certificates to special flights comprising wholly of passengers who had tested positive at the port of departure. Kerala would receive them and treat them in State-run or commandeered ... Read more

Riaz Ahmad, managing director of Abad Hotels & Resorts, has been in the hospitality sector for many decades, braving umpteen challenges. But even for someone like him, the coronavirus pandemic has presented an unforeseen situation. In this interview he talks about how his company is preparing for the future, keeping the interest of the employees in mind. Often the government ignores the sector as there is a perception that tourism is a business of the wealthy, he says. Excerpts: Q: It’s great to see Abad group reopening its properties across Kerala. How was the lockdown experience at Abad group? What ... Read more

Kerala’s stock as an important ayurvedic destination has been growing even during the lockdown period induced by the coronavirus pandemic. Ayurveda and related treatments have been essential components of Kerala tourism, making the state a popular tourist spot for travellers across the globe. But with the advent of Covid-19, the travel sector was hit hard, and the industry came to a standstill. With the passage of time and with lockdown restrictions eased, domestic tourism has started to take some shape and the state’s handling of the pandemic is expected to build confidence among travellers. Ayurveda is the extra dimension that ... Read more

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to prime minister Narendra Modi to consider arranging flights, exclusively for bringing COVID-19 infected Malayali patients from other countries. The move comes amid the controversy over the state government’s decision to make COVID-19 negative certificates mandatory for all expatriates coming from the Gulf countries on chartered flights. In the letter, Pinarayi Vijayan said the central government could ensure the availability of test kits in countries having large Indian diaspora. The embassies should be entrusted with the responsibility of holding tests for those unable to undergo tests at their own expense, he said. “If ... Read more