Category: Kerala

Enhanced facilities at Kovalam inaugurated

  Tourism Minister Kadakpalli Surendran inaugurated the amenities and safety measures implemented at the Kovalam Beach under the ‘Safe Tourism Programme’ on 21st July 2018. The works at the beach were completed as per the Kovalam Master Plan announced last month. As per the master plan a number things have been done on the beach to make it safe and beautiful. The works carried out under the programme include, installation of surveillance cameras, solar lamps, police aid posts, beautification of walkways, electrification in required areas, safety warning signs etc. The tourism industry is looking forward to the forthcoming tourism season ... Read more

Work on phase 1 of Kerala business hub is about to start post monsoon

Picture for representation purpose only The Phase 1 of International Conventional Centre Complex (ICCC), near Akkulam lake and Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, by K Raheja Corporation’s Chalet Hotels is all set to start post monsoon. The Rs 900-crore business hub, features a marina, a 150-room four-star hotel and a 1,500-seater convention centre in phase 1. This will have a built-up area of 16,503 sq mt. The second phase comes with an additional 1,500-seater convention centre, two hotels (one five-star and another four-star), a wellness resort, retail area, commercial space, food courts and amphitheatre, among others, according to the concept diagrams. All the hotels will have ... Read more

Cochin Port’s new cruise terminal to be ready by Feb 2020

Cochin Port’s new cruise terminal will come up at the Ernakulam Wharf by February 2020. The cruise terminal, to be built at a cost of Rs 25.72 crore, will have the facilities to handle 5,000 tourists. The 2,253-sq metre terminal will feature passenger and crew lounges, immigration counters, tourist information counter and duty free shopping. The estimated cost of construction of the terminal is Rs 25.72 crore and of this Rs 21.41 crore had been sanctioned as grant by the Union Tourism Ministry, said a release. Being one of the prime cruise tourism destinations in the country, Cochin Port had been ... Read more

Thousand foreigners to be part of Kerala’s Onam festival

Kerala Tourism is all set to start the harvest festival of God’s Own Country, Onam celebrations from August 24 onwards.  The department has said that it will ensure than atleast 1000 foreign tourists will participate in the festivities. “The department will ensure that green protocol is observed and there will also be cultural programmes by celebrities and famous artists,” said Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism. He was addressing a gathering at an official’s meeting held in this regard at the Thycaud guest house today. The procession, which would be held on the last day of the festival (August 30), would ... Read more

Kerala tops best tourist destination during monsoon

While Kerala has been facing the mishaps of incessant rain during this monsoon season, there is happy news for the tourism industry. As per the recent report by the online booking agency ‘MakeMyTrip’, Kerala tops the favourite place for tourists during this monsoon. According to MakeMyTrip, there have been 100 per cent growth in bookings for the major tourist places of Kerala – Thekkady, Alappuzha and Munnar, during this monsoon season. Furthermore, the report says Bakel fort in Kasargod is emerging as an offbeat destination for tourists. The report is formulated based on MakeMyTrip bookings till May 2018 for travel ... Read more

Kerala in Guardian’s list of 10 great road trips around the world

Kerala Tourism is listed in The Guardian’s 10 great road trips around the world. The Guardian has selected from the best of their reader’s trips and Kerala stands along with Transylvania, Romania; Amur highway from Chita to Vladivostok; Cajun country, US; Stargazing in Chile; Real Montenegro; Ring Road, Iceland; Far-west Cornwall; La Palma adventure, Canary Islands and Waterfall Way, Australia. The writer has travelled to Munnar, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kumily Wildlife Sanctuary, Varkala, Alappuzha and Kochi. Chris B, the writer even describes the Kumily Wildlife Sanctuary as it resembled the location of Jurassic Park. The writer also mentions about his experience of a backwater cruise in Alappuzha and ... Read more

Renovated Kozhikode south beach beckons visitors

Kozhikode south beach, one of the popular beaches in north Kerala, is beckoning tourists after the recent face-lift. The beach has been the dumping yard of wastes for the past few years. With the revamping works, the beach has become beautiful and is with lots of amenities to the visitors. Tourism minister Kadakampalli Surendren will inaugurate the renovated beach on 19th July 2018. Around 800 meters from the south sea bridge has been refurbished with four view spots. Tiled walkways, decorative siting places, antique type lamp posts etc. are arranged for the visitors to spend their leisure time at the ... Read more

Kerala Travel Mart 2018, focusing on Malabar Tourism, will kick-start on Sep 27

The 10th Kerala Travel Mart, which is to held from 27 to 30 September 2018 at Bolghatty Grand Hayatt, Kochi, will focus on Malabar Tourism. The four day programme aims at making the tourism sector of the state to be a sustainable source of income. The main attraction of KTM-2018 will be the Buyer-Seller meet, which is to held from 28th to 30th September. There will be B2B meetings held in coordination with Kerala Travel Mart Society and the Kerala Tourism Department, which will provide the opportunity to meet and discuss with the exponents of tourism and enhance business relationships to the comprehensive ... Read more

Enjoy your holidays behind the bars in Kerala!

Photo Courtesy: rd.com After Ayurveda and backwater tourism, Kerala is all set to attract globetrotters to its jails. If you wish, you can also spend a day in the jail, wear the jail clothes and taste the meals served to the prisoners at the Viyyur Jail in Kerala. You don’t have to commit any crime to land up in the jails, just pay the rent and avail the facilities there. The Kerala Prisons Department have submitted a proposal to the state government in this regard. The project is proposed as part of the Jail Museum project in the central prison ... Read more

‘Showcase’ beckons tourists to Munnar

  Munnar has always been one of the favourite destinations for tourists who visit Kerala. Splendid picturesque of tea plantations, zigzag roads, wintry weather even in summer – all make Munnar a delightful tourist place to visit and stay. ‘Showcase Munnar’ is a group formed to obliterate the misapprehensions of some people about Munnar and to attract more tourists. Showcase Munnar was formed by the hoteliers in and around Munnar, two years before. As per Adv. Babu Gerorge, the President of Showcase Munnar, the main objective behind the organization was to promote tourism in Munnar. Some of the hotels in ... Read more

Improved connectivity is required for tourism development: Kerala Governor

“Improved road and air connectivity is necessary for the state to connect with other states and thus attract more tourists,” says Kerala Governer P Sathasivam. He was inaugurating the Nishagandhi Monsoon Music Fest at the Nishagandhi Auditorium at Kanakkunnu, Thiruvananthapuram. He also recommended the state government to utilise the Centre’s ‘UDAN’ (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme aimed at improving rural airports and connectivity. He also offered his willingness to follow up the actions, if the state makes any requests to the Union Government in this regard. Citing the example of Puthuchery, he said despite its small size, they have ... Read more

Kerala Tourism organises roadshow in Odisha

Kerala tourism has organized a roadshow in Bhubaneswar to attract domestic travellers from the state. Kerala is expecting at least 10 per cent domestic tourists from Odisha this year. Around 7-8 per cent tourists from Odisha visited Kerala last year. Kerala tourism eyes to increase it up to 10 per cent this year. The roadshow showcased the presentation of a short 30-minute cultural programme, a visual storytelling that showcased the various art forms of Kerala. Tagged ‘ComeOutandPlay’, the campaign is aimed at domestic travellers who have been seeing Kerala as an antidote to urban experiences and as the antithesis of routine. The campaign ... Read more

Kerala lures Andhra tourists to visit the state

Munnar Hills In an interactive session organized at Fortune Murali Park on Thursday, Kerala Tourism department invited Andhra Pradesh to visit the tourism destination of Kerala and experience its rich cultural heritage. The event was held as part of its tourism promotion campaign, and, the Kerala Tourism Department has showcased what God’s own country can offer. People of Andhra Pradesh are mainly interested in pilgrimage and cultural spots in Kerala. They visit hill stations, beaches, wildlife sanctuaries and backwaters and constitute around 15 per cent of the state’s domestic tourists. “The number of devotees from Andhra Pradesh to Sabarimala is ... Read more

Kerala Tourism launches career portal

“LDF Government will generate 5 lakhs job opportunities in the tourism sector during its tenure,” said Tourism Minister Kadakampalli Surendran. He was speaking at the inauguration of the new career portal of tourism, developed by Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS), at Trivandrum on 12th July. “Kerala Tourism is in the path of development. The government’s vision is to make the entire stretch of Kerala to be tourism destinations, other than Kovalam and Kumarakam. The stagnation in the tourism sector has been changing and it is moving forward under the governess of the LDF. Innovative steps has been ... Read more

Sixty year old truck driver’s football video goes viral

Just two more days for the World Cup 2018 finals and, the FIFA World Cup has the young and old across the world in the grip of football fever. Back in Kerala, along with the screams for Harry Kane or Luka Modrić, the people are woohooing for a sixty year old truck drivers moves. The Kerala Tourism department, as part of its campaign to woo tourists, has launched the video of James PH, who shows off his impressive football skills. Called Soccer at 60, the video was posted on the tourism department’s Facebook page and has gone viral. Soccer 60 shows ... Read more