Category: 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

In a first such initiative in the country, Kerala Tourism will be implementing guidelines and a certification scheme from Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to promote more systematic approach and safety in adventure tourism. The procedural guidelines for registration are under consideration of the state government and is expected to come into force by October. BIS will be joining hands with Kerala Tourism to launch the new certification scheme, which is meant to comply with safety and security standards. This was disclosed by State Tourism Director P Bala Kiran IAS on the concluding day of the International Conference on ‘Global Trends ... 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

Amid Kerala Tourism’s effort to woo more Chinese travellers to the state, a workshop was held today for travel and tourism trade as part of designing a marketing strategy to increase their footfall. Inaugurating the concluding ceremony of the workshop, state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the state should tap the strong China market which sends 150 million tourists across the world. “Kerala will do a sustained China Ready campaign with definite partnerships at G2G, B2B and B2C levels,” he said. “In spite of deep historical, cultural and continental connect, Kerala is still not the most frequented tourist destinations of the Chinese, ... 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

Barely days after it was conferred three PATA gold awards, Kerala Tourism covered itself with more glory as it bagged two prestigious National Tourism Awards 2017-18 for the Best Tourism Film ‘Come Out and Play’ and the third prize in the category of ‘Best State/UT: Comprehensive Development of Tourism – Rest of India’ at an impressive function in New Delhi. Private players like hoteliers and tour operators in Kerala’s travel and hospitality industry substantially increased the awards tally of the state as they were given five more awards. Overall, Kerala received seven awards at the function, organised at the imposing ... 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

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