Category: Kerala

Kerala Tourism has put forth a 12-point Action Plan to overcome the crisis in the sector due to the recent floods. The time-bound action plan is aimed at increasing tourist arrivals in the upcoming peak season through aggressive marketing campaign within the country and in source markets of Kerala abroad. “Tourism programmes will not be cancelled in the name of cost control,” said Kadakmpally Surendran, Tourism Minister. He was talking to the media at Thiruvananthapuram. Cancelling tourism programmes may give an impression that Kerala is still under the chaos of flood. The ministry is planning aggressive campaigns to alleviate this ... Read more

The 2018 edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), the largest gathering of tourism stakeholders in the state, will be held from 27th to 30th September, in Kochi. The inaugural session of the four-day event, being organised by the KTM Society in association with the State Tourism Department, will be held at hotel Grand Hyatt, Bolgatty, on September 27. A series of buyer-seller meets, seminars and policy deliberations will take place at Samudrika and Sagara Convention Centre at the Willingdon Island. ‘Malabar tourism’ will be the theme of this year’s KTM and will focus on the nine rivers of north Kerala. The ... Read more

The big floods have had a blow on the tourism in Kerala, especially the hilly destination Munnar. Hardly a couple of weeks after the floods, Munnar is coming back as the Neelakurinji started blooming in many parts. In a bid to revive the tourism sector in the flood-hit Munnar, the associations of Hotels, Resorts, Tour Operators, Merchant’s Associations, and Activity organisers are coming together to conduct a car and bike rally. The rally, conducted in association with The Department of Tourism, will start from Kochi and reach Munnar, covering major town in Kochi and Idukki districts. The rally will begin from ... Read more

The Parliamentary Committee has extended its helping hands and offered help to the flood affected Kerala. The Committee gave the assurance during a meeting of Kovalam-based tourism/hospitality operators held on September 10. The tourism fraternity from Kerala has requested the Committee to include the state in the promotional videos of Government of India. The Tourism Department has assured that Kerala would get good visibility in the next set of promotional videos brought out by the ministry. The state tourism professionals have also requested the Committee to include Kerala in the Leave Travel Concession of central government employees. The team has ... Read more

Lakshmi Menon with Chekkutty, the doll A group of designers are making soft dolls out of the stained and torn handloom cloths, the remains of the rain and floods that affected many lives in Kerala. The handloom cloths are collected from the flood affected Chendamangalam in Eranakulam, a region famous from its handloom products. During the floods, handloom sarees worth lakhs were damaged. Normally the damaged cloths would be burned, as the stains would not be fixed by washing. At this point of time the volunteers come forward with the idea of making dolls out of the stained cloths and ... Read more

Kerala is recovering from the recent rain and floods that caused devastating damages to the state’s infrastructure and economy. Tourism being one of the major revenue earners of Kerala, prompt and adequate measures are taken by the state tourism department to streamline the tourism activities. The government is gearing to launch a revival campaign – God’s Own Country 2.0. “The state’s tourism sector suffered infrastructure losses of around Rs 100 crore, while business losses count around Rs 500 crore,” said P Balakiran, Director, Kerala Tourism. However, the state is going on with the 10th edition of Kerala Travel Mart, one ... Read more

The floods in Kerala had washed away the Periyavara bridge on the Munnar – Marayoor route, there by stopping all kinds of transportation between the two places. The bridge connecting tourists to Rajamal tourists zone and the Eravikulam nation park was the only access for the tourists to reach Rajamala to watch the mass blooming of Neelakurinji. The new temporary bridge is expected to be ready in two days’ time. Eravikulam National Park reported the blooming of Neelakurinji, the flower which blooms once in 12 years, last week. A huge inflow of tourists is expected in the area in the ... Read more

StayWell Holdings, part of Prince Hotels Inc of Japan, has announced signing of first Leisure Inn in Kerala. Leisure Inn VKL Kochi is scheduled to start operations in the last quarter of 2018. The hotel is located in the heart of Kochi city with a room inventory of 53 rooms. The hotel is the second property by StayWell Holdings in Kerala, after opening Park Regis Aveda in Kumarakom, Kerala, and seventh operational property in India for the Group. “We are looking forward to widening our reach in the Southern market. Kochi is a metropolitan hub of Kerala and the hotel ... Read more

“Local community participation to be sought in the development of tourism destinations, to have sustainable tourism development,” said Rashmi Verma, Tourism Secretary, Union Ministry. She was speaking at a session on “Mission: 20 million tourists – possibilities and challenges,” organised as part of the 34th annual convention of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), taking place in Visakhpatnam. “Involvement of the local communities in promotion would not only help in popularizing the new destinations, but also contribute to the local economy. We need such responsible tourism. We must learn from Kerala where the local people have become the stakeholders, by ... Read more

Happy news for people of Trivandrum!. Budget airlines, AirAsia and GoAir to start operations from Trivandrum. The airlines have expressed interest in starting domestic service from Trivandrum International Airport. Air Asia will start services to Bengaluru, while Go Air will have daily flights to Mumbai. Currently, Air Asia do not have service from Trivandrum. However, they had operated from Trivandrum during the floods, when Kochi International Airport was temporary closed. Go Air is the 5th largest airline operating in India. Meanwhile, joint venture of Singapore Airline and Tata Sons, Vistara Airlines, has also expressed interest to have flights to Chennai ... Read more

Kerala has faced the worst flooding in over a century that has left more than 400 people dead. Incessant rain since August 8 caused the worst floods and triggered landslides, blocking access to many of the popular destinations and forcing the Kochi International airport to cancel its operations for 14 days. Looking at the damages and the devastation the floods has caused, people were skeptical about the revival of the state, especially the tourism industry. But, in less than a couple of week’s time, the state could overcome the difficulties in record time and is now ready to welcome tourists. “The ... Read more

Kerala has been in the news for the past couple of weeks due to the devastating floods, which took the entire length and breadth of the state into shackles. But, the lush green paddy fields and the backwaters in Kumarakom are all the more beautiful and refreshing after the downpour. The deep emerald of the coconut fronds and the silvery backwaters is bustling with life. After a couple of week’s fall, the God’s own Country, as it is aptly called, has resurrected and is all set to welcome globetrotters. A team of 16 foreign tour operators have landed in Kerala to be ... Read more

Plastic waste is a plague on the world, and our holidays are also partially to be blamed in contributing a large chunk of it. With an aim to bring down the plastic waste in the destination, Munnar, the famed hill station of Kerala, is taking some commendable measures. Munnar Grama Panchayath has banned plastic products in and around Munnar area in Devikulam Taluk. The local authority has banned buying and selling plastic products under the Plastic Waste Management Rule – GS320(E) dated 18.03.2016 and ESR285(E) dated 28.03.2018. The products banned in Munnar area are plastic carry bags, plastic banners, flex, ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned the project “Development of Rural Circuit: Malanad Malabar Cruise Tourism Project’ in Kerala under Swadesh Darshan Scheme for Rs 80.37 crores, said Minister of State for Tourism (I/C)  K J Alphos. The project focuses on development of water based thematic cruise experiences in and around Valapattanam and Kuppam Rivers of Kannur District. The three thematic cruises developed under the project are as follows: a) Malabari Cuisine and Culinary Cruise in Valapattanam River (Muthappan Cruise) – Cruise starts from Valapattanam to Munambu Kadavu in Valapattanam River with an effective Cruise Length of 40 km. b) ... Read more

Juby Kattampally of Cox & Kings with Daphne Clara Richards at the airport CGH Marari Beach Resort at Mararikulam in Kerala has a special guest today. 89 year old Daphne Clara Richards, a British single lady traveller and a hardcore lover of Kerala. This is her 30th visit to India and 27th visit to Kerala.  In all her visits she has been staying at CGH Marari Beach Resort, except for three times. When she comes to CGH Marari Beach Resort, she chooses cottage No. 8 and says it is her second home. Every year she visits Kerala twice for leisure; usually ... Read more