Category: Kerala

Kerala’s heritage-preserving Responsible Tourism initiative has drawn up an ambitious project to tap the culinary skills of women at the grass roots, especially housewives, to dish out the distinct flavours of the state’s ethnic cuisine to visitors. The scheme, ‘Experience Ethnic Cuisine”, aims at gainfully engaging up to 50,000 home-makers across the state in three years, by roping in them as key stakeholders in the hospitality sector. The project, which can set a major trend in the state’s tourism sector and empower women substantially, was announced by Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran in the State Legislative Assembly recently. The registration to ... Read more

Wayanad is all set to welcome travel trade professionals and travellers from across the world for the much awaited Wayanad Splash 2019. This unique festival celebrates Rain Tourism, making the most daunting and dormant period of the year more marketable. This year tour operators, media and travel experts come together at Vythiri Village between July 11 and July 14 to experience and promote the monsoon carnival. Splash, a joint venture by Kerala Tourism, Government of Kerala and the Wayanad Tourism Organisation, is a biannual calendar event held in July to showcase the numerous tourist attractions and activities in Wayanad district. ... Read more

Kerala Tourism, in association with Muddy Boots and Mercury Himalayan Explorations (MHE), is planning to launch a host of adventure tourism courses on KITTS campuses in Thiruvananthapuram, Malayattoor, Thalassery and Thrissur. There will be four certificate courses and one diploma course, which is aimed to create a trained workforce to guide tourists interested in adventure tourism so that risks are minimised and responsible tourism is undertaken. The technical partner, Muddy Boots will devise the curriculum and facilitate the faculty while the industry partner, MHE will take care of internship for the students and their placement. The courses include an introduction ... Read more

Noting that homestays are a vital component of tourism in future, Kerala Tourism Director P Bala Kiran IAS said homestays will be given Responsible Tourism Mission (RT) partner approval, provided they strictly follow the vision and norms of the heritage-oriented hospitality initiative. “The classification will be in platinum, gold and silver categories,” Bala Kiran said while inaugurating a one-day workshop cum orientation programme for homestays and service villas of Kerala here on Tuesday. The event was organized by Trivandrum chapter of Kerala Hats, a consortium of homestay promoters, in association with the Kerala Tourism Department in Thiruvananthapuram. Bala Kiran said ... Read more

Kerala Government has decided to form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the conduct of the IPL-model Champions’ Boat League (CBL) as an annual event in August-November, showcasing Kerala’s famed snake-boat race in the backwaters in six districts across the state as a world class experience. The decision was announced by state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran at a meeting of stakeholders, jointly held with Finance Minister Dr T M Thomas Isaac. The company, primarily intended to generate revenue through telecast rights, advertisements and sponsorships for conducting the premier event, will also decide on the revenue sharing among the stakeholders. The inaugural ... Read more

Want to escape from the busy schedules of your life and enjoy some peaceful and serene farm experience? Then Thejaswini Eco Farm at Cherupuzha in Kannur district, north of Kerala, should be in your plans when you think about a holiday next time. You will get a chance to have a wonderful farming experience here at Thejaswini where you can stay, witness the farming methods, and purchase farm-fresh produces such as Honey, Nutmeg, Coconut, Neera, Cashew Nut, Coco, Rambutan, Mangostin, Passion Fruit, Mango Fruit, Jackfruit, and so on. Many varieties of honey are produced here in abundance. You can also learn ... Read more

TikTok, the world’s leading platform for short-form mobile videos, announced the India edition of its global in-app travel campaign, #TikTokTravel. The local in-app campaign #YehMeraIndia showcases India as a key global travel destination by inviting TikTok users to share their travel moments with the world. As part of the campaign, Kerala Tourism (@KeralaTourism) launched their official account on TikTok and will be leveraging the platform to promote the state’s tourism. “We are thrilled to be one of the first state tourism boards to come onto TikTok and be part of #TikTokTravel and #YehMeraIndia. We truly believe that TikTok as a ... Read more

The exciting and electrifying cricket season is here again to capture the hearts and the souls of people at all ages. The ICC World Cup 2019 matches are building up the enthusiasm among people all over the world and especially in Kerala. For cricket lovers in the Kerala capital, Thiruvananthapuram, Vivin Suites is presenting an offer just as exciting as the World Cup! Enjoy coffee, snacks and light meals as you catch the action at a special price. Make it more happening and experience the real excitement in cricket by watching it live on a Big Screen at the Cherry ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: CNN In an effort to ease travel and increase the number of Saudi visitors to the country, the Indian government has made e-visas available for Saudi nationals. All applicants will need are valid identification documents, like passports, and a debit or credit card with which to pay the e-visa fee. E-visa application confirmations will be filed within a 24-hour period of submission, approval granted within 72 hours, and the visa will be valid for one year. The e-visa will then be sent via email, and can be used digitally or printed. The e-visas are issued for a period ... Read more

India and the Maldives have decided to launch a passenger-cum-cargo ferry service between Kerala’s Kochi and Male, the capital of Maldives, via Kulhudhuffushi atoll in a bid to strengthen connectivity between the two countries and boost tourism. On his recent state-visit visit to Maldives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih have asked officials to expeditiously work towards starting the regular passenger-cum-cargo ferry service between the two countries. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two sides for the establishment of passenger and cargo services by sea. The distance between Kochi and Male is about 700 ... Read more

In spite of the terrible weather and the other adverse conditions, the tourist season in Kerala was well on course beating the last year statistics and according to the Ministry of Tourism, the state’s tourism has recorded some good growth from unexpected markets in 2018. The bad weather, religious and political protests, increased competition from Sri Lanka and the devastating floods don’t seem to have affected the tourism industry through out Kerala as more and more visitors have arrived in the state from new markets. “There was rampant apprehension that Kerala’s tourism will take a long time to recover. But ... Read more

Bureau of Indian Standards, Government of India is conducting a one day workshop on Adventure Tourism in association with Kerala Tourism, Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) and with the support of Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) and Tourism India Magazine at UDS Kovalam on May 16, 2019, from 10 am to 1.30 pm. The event will be followed by an interaction between Kerala Adventure Tourism Stakeholders and Tour Operators in Kerala. Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt. of Kerala, will inaugurate the workshop. The technical session will be moderate by Dr. Rajashree AJith, Director, KITTS from 11 ... Read more

Kerala tourism was experiencing a very dull season last year due to the Nipah outbreak and the devastating floods. At the same time, the neighbouring island nation, Sri Lanka has been aggressively marketing its scenic locations and pristine beaches, destinations which Kerala too offers, in the past half a decade or so attracting a good number of visitors there. The cost of visiting Sri Lanka and Kerala is almost the same for a traveller, which also made Sri Lanka a preferred destination for travellers. But, with the recent Easter bombings in the island nation on April 21, that killed 290 ... Read more

Sarovar Hotels has announced the signing of a new hotel in Poovar, marking the group’s further foray into Kerala. One of the fastest growing hotel chains in India with over 80 operational hotels across 50 destinations in India and Africa, this will be Sarovar’s fifth hotel in Kerala, adding to its impressive presence in Vayalar, Thekaddy, Kochi and Thiruvanthipuram. Pooovar is a well-known tourist destination due to its unsurpassed natural beauty, unspoilt beaches and beautiful rivers. It is an ideal destination for relaxing and cherishing the exotic beauty of beaches. A trip to God’s Own Country will not be complete ... Read more

Thiruvananthapuram has a host of architecturally, historically, religiously and aesthetically beautiful places in and around. It may not be possible for you to cover all of it in a day. But, the Napier Museum, zoo and the nearby Kanakakkunnu palace are ideal for a one-day tour. This edition of Trivandrum Diaries is taking you to the very famous and one of the major happening places in Trivandrum, the Napier Museum… History The museum, named after Lord Napier, the Governor of Madras from 1866-1872, was established in 1855 and was demolished and rebuilt in 1874. The architectural masterpiece was designed by ... Read more