Category: News

The Kerala Travel Mart 2018 has kick-started in Kochi at the Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolghatty on September 27, with the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan officially inaugurating the event by lighting the traditional lamp. More than 1600 buyers from India and abroad are in Kochi to participate in the Kerala Travel Mart. The buyers group includes representatives and heads of tourism projects and heads of tourism from the country and outside. Of the 1600 buyers, 545 are foreign buyers. “It is for the first time that we have these many buyers participating in an event in Kerala. This shows the ... Read more

The Union Minister for Tourism (IC), K J Alphons has launched the ‘Incredible India Mobile App’ and the “Incredible India Tourist Facilitators Certification” programme on September 27. The Incredible India Mobile App, showcases India as a holistic destination, revolving around major experiences, such as spirituality, heritage, adventure, culture, yoga, wellness and more. The mobile app has been designed keeping in mind the preferences of the modern traveler and follows the trends and technologies of international standards. The app has been equipped with features to assist the traveller in each phase of their journey to India. The app has been developed ... Read more

Tourism Minister K J Alphons has presented National Tourism Awards 2016-17 in New Delhi, on the World Tourism Day. The Awards were presented to various segments of the travel and tourism industry. These awards are presented to State Governments/ Union Territories, classified hotels, heritage hotels, approved travel agents, tour operators and tourist transport operators, individuals and other private organizations in recognition of their performance in their respective fields. The awardees were chosen on the basis of several parameters including tourist traffic and efforts undertaken to make the state tourist friendly. The awards are given to encourage healthy competition with an aim ... Read more

India has taken great strides forward in the field of tourism during the last four years of the Government and added that tourism, today, is the cornerstone of the Indian economy, as it is a major source of employment and foreign exchange, and in order to tap the full potential of this sector, industry has to join hands, said K J Alphons, Union Minister for State for Tourism.  The minister was addressing a gathering after distributing the National Tourism Awards in Delhi. Congratulating the awardees, K J Alphons also shared the concern that the tourism sector needs to improve its ... Read more

Major focus to be given for responsible tourism and ecologically friendly tourism projects in Kerala, opined Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala. The minister was addressing a gathering at the Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolghatty after inaugurating the 10th edition of Kerala Travel Mart today. “The government is aiming to position Kerala in the world tourism map through promoting Responsible tourism. When a region changes as a part of responsible tourism, every section of the people will also benefit from it. The government is planning a project to promote the traditional art forms and cultural specialties of the Malabar region. ... Read more

Deenaz Raisinghani with her child (Photo Courtesy: Indian Express) Deenaz Raisinghani, a Jaipur-based blogger is fond of travelling. Having a baby did not stop her craving for travelling. In fact, the mom to a three-year-old has travelled to nine countries with the baby, as a family and even solo. The Backpacking Mama shares her experience of her trip to Kerala. “We travelled to Kerala when my daughter was just 11 months old, and it remains one of our most favourite trips with family. Kerala caters to everyone, on every kind of budget. Along with its scenic beauty, it allures you ... Read more

Mechtild Rössler, Director, UNESCO World Heritage Center All the nations around the world are celebrating 27th September as the World Tourism Day. Varied programmes are organized by people in the tourism industry. Tourism has become a major source of growth, employment and income for many of the world’s countries, particularly in emerging economies. However, when mismanaged, overwhelming numbers of visitors can damage ancient monuments and put intangible heritage at risk. “World Tourism Day is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of protecting World Heritage and ensuring that tourism makes a positive contribution to the sustainable development of destinations and ... Read more

On the event of World Tourism Day – 27th September 2018- Pondicherry University organizes a workshop on ‘Tourism and the Digital Transformation’. Professor Gurmeet Singh, University Vice Chancellor, will open the event at the School of Management, Pondicherry . P Parthiban, Tourism Secretary, M Nanda Kumar, President, CII-Pondicherry and other industry leaders have participated in the event. “The workshop will serve as a platform for discussing various issues and challenges for the tourism industry,” S K Swain, Head of Department of Tourism Studies. Events had commenced on September 14 with an interaction with school students at Bharati Park as part ... Read more

Cochin International Airport Ltd was presented with UN’s highest environmental prize the ‘Champions of Earth-2018’ at a grand ceremony held at New York on the side line of the 73rd General Assembly of United Nations on 26th September 2018.  V J Kurian, Managing Director of CIAL, who pioneered the idea of making the airport a world’s first fully powered by solar energy, received the renowned prize from Sathyapal Thripati, Assistant Secretary of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) “Cochin International Airport took home the award for Entrepreneurial Vision category, for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy. Cochin is showing ... Read more

While Kerala tourism is recovering from the havoc of the recent rain and floods, eminent personalities from different walks of life have taken up the campaign set forth by the Kerala Tourism Department to propagate that Kerala is all set to receive tourists. The campaign exhorts to post a picture or video of Kerala with hash tags #VisitKerala, #MyKerala,#KeralaTourism, #WorldTourismDay, #ItsTimeForKerala and #KeralaIsOpen etc. Tweet by Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakmpally Surendran, Ex-Uninon Minister Shasi Tharaoor, prominent film actor Prithwiraj Sukumaran etc. have already participated in the campaign. As per the officials, they are receiving overwhelming responses ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism in Oman has decided to offer free Wi-Fi services on the go at five castles. Through a strategic partnership with “Omantel”, free Wi-Fi services will be installed in five castles. This application is designed with the characteristics and features that will attract tourists. The Ministry of Tourism has also signed a strategic partnership agreement with Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) on the infrastructure for the telecommunications sector and information services and broadband services for mobile internet and value-added services technology. The agreement comes within the framework of strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors to support the Oman ... Read more

The district authorities have made the entry to all tourists spots in Visakhapatnam free on the occasion of World Tourism Day today. The District Tourism Council has lined up several programmes for the celebrations. The theme for this year is ‘Tourism and the Digital Transformation’. In an attempt to promote various adventurous sports, the District Tourism Council has announced a 20 per cent discount on the tariff for scuba diving and sea kayaking at Rushikonda from 9 am to 4 pm today. Similarly, a 50  per cent discount has been announced on the tariff of adventure sports at Kambalakonda reserve forest opposite ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has bagged the prestigious ‘Best State for Leisure Tourism’ award at the Zee Business Travel Award. Sooraj P K from the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, received the honour at the Zee Business Travel Awards function held at Oberoi Hotel. Union Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons was the Chief Guest and Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, Minister of Tourism, Mauritius, was the Guest of Honour at the ceremony. One of the most eclectic awards for tourism in India, the Zee Business Travel Awards honour those who are responsible for taking the travel industry to greater heights. The ... Read more

Short-term and long-term projects are required to boost the tourism sector in Kerala, which has suffered major setback due to the recent floods, opined the tourism fraternity during a meeting held today in Kochi. The travel and tourism stalwarts have also observed that there is a strong need to run marketing campaigns not only in traditional print media, but also in social media, online media and in-flight magazines. The meeting has urged the software professionals from across the IT parks in Kerala to help in marketing the destination to reach out to more people. The tourism fraternity has also requested ... Read more

Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the 10th edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) at Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty today (September 27) at 6 pm. Union Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons will be the chief guest at the mart. Organised by KTM Society, in partnership with Kerala Tourism, the event has Malabar Tourism as its focal theme this edition. The business-to-business meetings will be conducted at Samudrika and Sagara Convention Centre at Willington Island in Kochi from September 28 to 30. Over 30,000 meetings among 1,600 buyers from around the world and 325 sellers of Kerala’s ... Read more