Category: Kerala

The Kerala Travel Mart Society has set up a help-desk as a novel measure to help tourists. Many of the tourists have been struggling to find accommodation, food and water due to the impact of the corona virus. Please find the details regarding the help-desk below.

The Ministry of Tourism has identified 17 sites in 12 clusters in the country for developing them as iconic tourist sites, the Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel has stated in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The 17 sites include the Taj Mahal & Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh), Ajanta & Ellora (Maharashtra), Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort & Qutub Minar (Delhi), Colva (Goa), Amer Fort (Rajasthan), Somnath & Dholavira (Gujarat), Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh), Hampi (Karnataka), Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Kaziranga (Assam), Kumarakom (Kerala) and Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar). The Ministry will be developing the above ... Read more

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has unequivocally stated that no tourist coming into Kerala should feel harassed, due to the stringent virus testing measures initiated by the government, in the wake of the corona outbreak. “No one should be forced to leave,” he said while addressing a review meeting on the situation on Saturday. The chief minister has said that all stakeholders should ensure that the inbound tourists don’t face any difficulty. However, as part of the precautionary measures they have to be in isolation at their place of stay. A health department advisory has categorised the tourists as high ... Read more

Wonderla park shuts temporarily Wonderla Holidays has decided to temporarily shut down its amusement park in Kochi in the wake of the increasing number of coronavirus cases “This is to inform the stock exchanges that in view of the emerging situation in Kerala, consequent to the reported coronavirus cases, the company has decided to temporarily close the Kochi park from March 11-20, Wonderla said in a statement.

The Idukki district collector has said that resorts and hotels in Idukki should allow rooms to guests, only after ensuring that they have tested negative for corona virus. Earlier the district administration had issued a circular restricting the bookings in the district. But in the light of Idukki not having any confirmed cases of the dreaded virus, the circular has been modified. The hotels and resorts now have to only ensure that they screen the guests coming from corona impacted travel spots, and ensure they have not come in contact with the virus. District collector H Dineshan has stated that ... Read more

Move applies to OCI card holders too India has suspended all existing visas issued to national of any country, with very few exceptions, as the number of confirmed cases of corona virus (COVID-19) continues to rise. Visa-free travel facility granted to Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card holders will also be kept in abeyance till April 15. The Bureau of Immigration, (Ministry of Home Affairs) in an official statement said that all visas except those issued to Diplomats, Officials from United Nations or International organizations, Employment Protect visas stand suspended till April 15, 2020 with effect from 1200 GMT March ... Read more

Entry to the Periyar Tiger Reserve has been closed from March 11 to March 31, the state government said on Tuesday. This is in connection with the spread of the Corona virus. All activities inside the park, boating, all community based ecotourism programmes, Gavi ecotourism, nature camps etc will not be permitted.

Tourists looking at alternative travel spots With honeymoon travelers looking to either cancel their vacations or postponing them to a safer period, shares of hospitality giants like Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott have all taken a tumble globally. Almost all couples who had picked on China as their honeymoon spot, have pulled out, due to the outbreak of the deadly corona virus. Even those flying into Thailand and Cambodia have stopped in their tracks to do a rethink. The other common honeymoon destinations like Bali in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Dubai have also been affected. Countries like Iran and South Korea, ... Read more

State registers the highest growth rate since 1996 Kerala has shown yet again why it’s God’s Own Country when it comes to tourism. Despite being stung hard by the nipah virus and the incessant floods last year, the state has recorded the highest growth rate in domestic and total tourist arrivals in 24 years. Kerala attracted around 1.96 crore domestic and foreign visitors in 2019, registering a healthy growth of 17.2 per cent as compared to the figures in the previous year. The total earnings from tourism stood at Rs 45,010.69 crore, notching a robust 24.14 per cent increase. The ... Read more

Schools to engage only authorised tour operators The Kerala government has provided fresh directions for schools while undertaking study tours and industry visits, keeping in mind some of the undesirable practices that have crept into the system. The state education department has said that all schools including the CBSE and ICSE institutions have to ensure that only recognised tour operators are used for the purpose. In a press release, the department has said that the responsibility of such trips will be have to be met by the heads of  the respective schools. The arrangements of such visits will have to ... Read more

In an aggressive bid to make deeper inroads in Europe, Kerala Tourism conducted a string of high-energy road shows by participating in World Travel Market (WTM) London 2019 in November and showcasing its formidable eyeball-grabbing products in the emerging markets of Scandinavian countries Denmark and Finland. Kerala Tourism Director P Bala Kiran led a high-profile official delegation, comprising prominent trade partners like hoteliers, resort owners, tour operators and service providers from the state, to WTM London and roadshows in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Helsinki (Finland). At WTM London, Kerala Tourism set up a spectacular pavilion over 120 sq.mt area with the ... Read more

Kerala has received the 2019 award for ‘Best Honeymoon Destination’ under domestic category by Travel and Leisure India and South Asia Magazine, boosting the efforts of the state to add new products to its tourism portfolio to attract a wide spectrum of tourists. Travel+Leisure India’s Best Awards 2019 were presented at an impressive function at ITC Maurya, New Delhi on Friday evening. Bollywood actress Dia Mirza was the host. Manoj TC, Deputy Director, Kerala Tourism, New Delhi received the award. The awards were given to international and domestic tourism departments, hoteliers, destinations, facilitators, service providers, and trendsetters at the function, ... Read more

Having established an unassailable lead, Tropical Titans registered a resounding triple hat-trick in the Champions Boat League (CBL) today when they finished first at the 11th round in Kallada ahead of the finals of the pioneering water event next weekend.  The star team met the expectation of crowd by outshining all their eight competitors yet again by clocking 3:43.91 minutes in the evening’s final race, ahead of spirited Raging Rowers (3:49.95) and Mighty Oars (3:52.00) who came second and third, respectively. Amid loud cheer down the one-km track, the day’s victors also earned the ‘Nerolac Excel Fastest Team of the Day’ ... Read more

രാജ്യത്തെ മികച്ച കടുവസങ്കേതത്തിനുള്ള ദേശീയ കടുവ സംരക്ഷണ അതോറിറ്റിയുടെ അവാര്‍ഡ് പെരിയാര്‍ കടുവ സങ്കേതത്തിനു ലഭിച്ചു. കടുവ സംരക്ഷണപ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങളില്‍ ആധുനിക സാങ്കേതിക വിദ്യ ഉപയോഗപ്പെടുത്തല്‍, കടുവസംരക്ഷണരീതികളും മാതൃകകളും, കാട്ടുതീ പ്രതിരോധപ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങള്‍ തുടങ്ങിയവ സംബന്ധിച്ച് രാജ്യത്തെ കടുവ സങ്കേതങ്ങളില്‍ നടത്തിയ ശാസ്ത്രീയ പഠനത്തിന്റെ അടിസ്ഥാനത്തില്‍ 93.75 ശതമാനം പോയന്റുകള്‍ കരസ്ഥമാക്കി പെരിയാര് ടൈഗര്‍ റിസര്‍വും മഹാരാഷ്ട്രയിലെ പെഞ്ച് കടുവാ സങ്കേതവും ഒന്നാം സ്ഥാനം പങ്കിടുകയായിരുന്നു. ഡല്‍ഹിയിലെ വിജ്ഞാന്‍ ഭവനില്‍ നടന്ന ചടങ്ങില്‍ കേന്ദ്ര വനം പരിസ്ഥിതി കാലാവസ്ഥാ വ്യതിയാന വകുപ്പ് ഡയറക്ടർ ജനറലും സ്പെഷ്യൽ സെക്രട്ടറിയുമായ സിദ്ധാനന്ദദാസിൽ നിന്നും പെരിയാർ ടൈഗർ റിസർവ്വ് ഫീൽഡ് ഡയറക്ടർ കെ.ആർ.അനൂപ് അവാർഡ് ഏറ്റുവാങ്ങി.

The fifth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF 2020) is set to be held from the 16th to 19th of January 2020 at Calicut. With over Four Lakh attendees, KLF 2020 is the second-largest cultural gathering and the fastest-growing literature festival on the continent. Set along the shores of the Arabian Sea by the beaches of Calicut, the festival will bring readers and writers together for inspiration, entertainment, and discussion. The eminent speakers include Literary Luminaries, Booker Prize Winners, Oscar Winners, Jnanpith Laureates, Astronauts, Environmentalists, Head of States, Film & Theatre Personalities, Performers & Artists, Designers, Media Personalities, Sports ... Read more