Category: Kerala

COVID 19 has changed the world order and the Travel and Tourism industry has been the worst hit. In order to usher in the new normal and build trust in travellers to travel again World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has come out with a global standard. WTTC has curated a ” SAFE TRAVELS STAMP ” as the new symbol of Trust for Travel and Tourism industry. Association of Tourism Trade Organizations, India (ATTOI) has partnered with WTTC for India, to promote and propagate this trust with tourism businesses in India. The World Travel & Tourism Council represents the Travel ... Read more

The eco-tourism centres that were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic will start to function from August 19, the chief wildlife warden has said. The centres will be reopened in stages, following strict safety protocol. With the closure of the ecotourism centres, people who were dependent on forest resources had lost their livelihoods. This had affected about 2,000 people directly and 7,000 indirectly, said the warden, prompting the authorities to reopen the eco-tourism centres. In the first stage of reopening, children below 10 years and adults above 65 years will not be allowed. Temperature checks will be conducted for all ... Read more

By Swaroop Kallada, Secretary – Tourism Professionals Club It’s a bad time for the entire world. When the virus was detected in Wuhan, we were a little bothered about its consequences but never knew our lives would come to a standstill.  It’s a reality now that our passion alone cannot drive us to the end of the tunnel where things start to look   normal. We had dreams and our lives were colourful. But all of that has been shattered. India was known for its traditional hospitality, as far as tourism is concerned. And the secret was the passionate people ... Read more

By Sheik Ismail, Member – Tourism Care Foundation (TCF) Founded in April 2020, the Tourism Care Foundation (TCF) is a non-profit organization whose objective is to help and support people who have lost their jobs and businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically in the tourism industry. One day my friend, Gafoor, called me and over our conversation we both discussed about the industry and the need to help our friends during these difficult times. During this pandemic, we have witnessed and noticed many of our colleagues facing utmost difficulty in meeting their basic and unavoidable needs like food, medicine, their ... Read more

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has proposed creating an Ayurveda Tourism Task Force, with an objective of bringing all the key stakeholders on a common platform. The task force will plan and strategize on a road map to develop Ayurveda Tourism by working closely with the government and co-create solutions with the help of the stakeholders. Manish Ahuja, Head -Tourism & Director of FICCI, has invited Sajeev Kurup, managing director of Ayurvedamana Hospitals, to become the chairperson of the task force and lead Ayurveda Tourism to the next level. In the wake of the pandemic, ... Read more

Kerala should look to convert its vacant houses into Airbnb-type accommodation to increase the state’s carrying capacity, Muralee Thummarukudy said on Thursday. Delivering a talk at the online webinar organised by the Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI), Thummarukudy said Kerala has over one million vacant homes, which can be effectively utilised to generate tourism revenues. “In Kerala, one can find 5-bedroom houses even in remote areas. So, finding space should not be a problem,” he said. The challenge would be incentivising that possibility.  Right now, Kerala feels content with the number of tourists that visit the state every year. ... Read more

The virtual webinar organised by the Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI), to discuss the future of tourism will be inaugurated by Kerala’s tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran later today. The webinar features two eminent individuals – Claudia Wagner, managing director of German tour operator FIT Reisen and Muralee Thummarukudy, Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction in the United Nations Environment Programme.  The theme of the webinar is “We will overcome”. While Claudia Wagner will speak on the topic ‘Impact of Covid-19 and the revival of tourism’ from 3.30-4.30 pm, Muralee Thummarukudy will deliver his talk in Malayalam on the subject ... Read more

The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI) is organising a webinar on August 6, featuring two eminent individuals – Claudia Wagner, managing director of German tour operator FIT Reisen and Muralee Thummarukudy, Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction in the United Nations Environment Programme. The theme of the webinar is “We will overcome”. While Claudia Wagner will speak in English on the topic ‘Impact of Covid-19 and the revival of tourism’ from 3.30-4.30 pm, Muralee Thummarukudy will deliver his talk in Malayalam on the subject ‘Is there a spring season awaiting Kerala tourism?’, from 4.30-5.30 pm. Wagner’s session is sponsored by ... Read more

VG Jayachandran, CEO of Tour Designers, says product development and research must be the main functions of the State tourism department, not marketing. At present, in the name of marketing, millions are spent which never hit the target, he says. Any organisation, which doesn’t have the participation of all stakeholders, will not find a place in this situation – whether it is FAITH or any other confederation. They are just old wine in used bottles, he says. Excerpts from an interview: Q: Why do you think governments – both at the Centre and State levels – have ignored the pleas of ... Read more

The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI) is organising a webinar on August 6, featuring two eminent individuals – Claudia Wagner, managing director of German tour operator FIT Reisen and Muralee Thummarukudy, Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction in the United Nations Environment Programme. The theme of the webinar is “We will overcome”. While Claudia Wagner will speak in English on the topic ‘Impact of Covid-19 and the revival of tourism’ from 3.30-4.30 pm, Muralee Thummarukudy will deliver his talk in Malayalam on the subject ‘Is there a spring season awaiting Kerala tourism?’, from 4.30-5.30 pm. Claudia Wagner has been with ... Read more

The Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industries (CKTI) is seeking urgent financial aid from the government for the survival of the sector that has been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. The confederation said the government should take additional measures to help the 15 lakh employees who are directly linked to the travel/tourism/hospitality segment. Meanwhile, following a series of online meetings that saw representation from 35 registered trade associations, CKTI re-elected EM Najeeb as its chairman. The main objective is to ensure survival and then the revival of the industry, CKTI stated in a press release. The tourism sector is the most ... Read more

The Indian Government and the State Government of Kerala should be held responsible for their criminal negligence towards the struggling travel and tourism sector, tourism body ATTOI has contended, citing instances of employees committing suicide. While many other countries, both developed and developing, have come forward with plans to support the industry, the Indian government and the state of Kerala have ignored the sector, ATTOI President Vinod CS has said. Even neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and states such as Himachal Pradesh have given shape to financial packages and benefits for tourism employees, but God’s Own Country hasn’t come to ... Read more

Kerala Tourism will increase its cooperation with other state tourism departments and the Central Government to avoid issues in inter-state travel, said Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran on Friday. The Minister said he expects tourists to start visiting Kerala Tourist Places in the next one or two months. He was speaking at the concluding session of the two-day e-Conclave organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with the participation of representatives from various states and the Central Government on the future of tourism. In the first phase, ayurveda, eco-tourism and adventure tourism sectors will be strengthened ... Read more

The Kerala High Court has refused to grant any relief to Johnny Paul Pierce, a 74-year-old US citizen, who had sought extension of his stay in India as he feels safer in Kerala than in America. The high court said that extension of visa tenure of foreign nationals is the exclusive domain of the Government of India. Justice CS Dias observed that a foreign citizen cannot claim fundamental right to reside and settle in India, adding that the power of the Government of India to expel foreigners is absolute and unlimited. Pierce’s visa is valid till January 26, 2025, but ... Read more

Kerala’s Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran will undergo self-quarantine after an employee at his official residence tested COVID-19 positive. On Tuesday, all employees at the Minister’s residence and office underwent an antigen test. It is reported that the Minister tested coronavirus negative. However, Kadakampally stated that he decided to enter self-quarantine from Tuesday afternoon as a precaution. The Minister has directed all of his employees, who worked with the COVID positive person, to enter self-quarantine.Kadakampally Surendran, who is in charge of the COVID-19 prevention activities in Thiruvananthapuram, had attended various meetings since Tuesday morning. The district Collector and many other high ranking officials ... Read more