Tag: Kerala Tourism

Kerala Tourism to organise Athapookkalam and Thiruvathirakali competitions

Photo Courtesy: La Paz Group As part of the upcoming Onam celebrations, Kerala Tourism will organise Athapookkalam competition, which allows the participants to create captivating designs through a mix of colours and flowers, on September 10. It will also organise Thiruvathirakali competition, a unique dance performed by women, on the auspicious day of Thiruvathira, on September 14. The winners of both the competitions will receive an amount of Rs 20,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 as first, second and third prizes, respectively. An amount of Rs 2,000 will be given as consolation prizes for the commendable performances amongst the participant ... Read more

Kerala announces new schedule for Champions Boat League races

Kerala Tourism has announced rescheduled dates for Champions Boat League (CBL), the country’s first-ever boat racing patterned on the IPL format of cricket. Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that the CBL would start on August 31 alongside the illustrious Nehru Trophy Boat Race and would end on November 23 on the sidelines of the President’s Trophy at Kollam. Originally slated to begin on August 10, the championship will retain its essential features, as nine teams are to vie for top honours and prize monies totalling Rs 5.9 crore. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will flag off the event at the sprawling Punnamada ... Read more

Kerala Responsible Tourism model lauded at Tourism Minister’s Conference

The Responsible Tourism Mission of Kerala Tourism was lauded at the Tourism Minister’s conference held in New Delhi. Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister for Tourism, Govt of India has appreciated Kerala’s RT Mission at the Tourism Minister’s Conference held at Hotel Asoka in New Delhi. Kerala and Sikkim are the only states in the country which could present better tourism models. Kerala has presented the idea of Responsible Tourism project, which connects the local community with tourism. “Kerala explores the social media possibilities effectively to run tourism campaigns,” said Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Kerala. Kerala Tourism Secretary Rani ... Read more

Nehru Trophy boat race, Champions Boat League to be held on August 31

The tourism department of Kerala has decided to conduct the 67th edition of the Nehru Trophy boat race and the first heats of the Champions Boat League, at Punnamada lake in Alappuzha on August 31, 2019. The NTB and CBL, which were first scheduled on August 10 was postponed considering the risk from the heavy rain and flood. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is slated to inaugurate the race and the Champions Boat League (CBL) will to be flagged-off along with the Nehru trophy, with Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as the chief guest cheering the crowds. A total of 79 boats, including ... Read more

Chaliyar River Paddle to be held on September 20

Jellyfish Water Sports attempts to bring together people who love water and water sports to spread awareness about conserving water bodies through different kinds of paddling activities acting as a springboard for the cause. ‘Chaliyar River Paddle’ is the 6th edition of this annual event by Jellyfish Water Sports. The three-day paddling event held from September 20th to September 22nd, 2019 targets water sports enthusiasts, nature lovers, tourists, children and people from all walks of life. Promoting water sports like kayaking, SUPing, and canoeing will help build the connection, turning more and more youngsters and tourists into evangelists of clean ... Read more

Kerala Tourism’s Info Centres get facelift

Strengthening the information network of Kerala Tourism, seven renovated tourism information centres were opened in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi on Tuesday, with Hon. Minister for Co-operation, Devaswom and Tourism, Kadakampally Surendran inaugurating the facility at the Central Bus Terminal at Thampanoor in Thiruvananthapuram. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said Tourist Information centres in Chennai, Goa and Kolkata were also getting spruced up and strengthened with sufficient staff and technical back-up. “Tourist Information Centres have undergone a complete makeover to meet the demands of tourists visiting Kerala. Through the project, the government is also providing jobs for professionally-qualified and skilled youth ... Read more

Rain Fury: Kerala postpones Nehru Trophy boat race

As torrential rain lashes Kerala, the tourism department has decided to postpone the 67th edition of the Nehru Trophy boat race, which was scheduled on Saturday (Aug 10) at Punnamada lake in Alappuzha. The tourism department has made the announcement considering the risk from the heavy rain and flood. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was slated to inaugurate the race at 2 p.m tomorrow. The Champions Boat League (CBL) was also planning to be flagged-off along with the Nehru trophy, with Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as the chief guest cheering the crowds. A total of 79 boats, including 23 snakeboats, were scheduled ... Read more

Kerala Tourism offers ‘experience Onam’ packages to visitors from Sept 1 to 30

Kerala Tourism has unveiled a unique product to literally extend the feel and taste of Onam festival to visitors by enabling them to enjoy a variety of traditional dishes including the famed multi-dish ‘sadya’ and trips to sylvan rural stretches. The project , worked out by the State Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission, will facilitate tourists to stay at village homes as guests, join the celebrations of the festival of flowers, partake home-made delicacies and meals and receive attractive gifts before bidding farewell. The product , ‘Enjoy Onam feast, get Onam gifts ’, piloted in 2017 in selected places, will be ... Read more

Tourist arrivals in Kerala up 14.81% in second quarter

Riding on a swift recovery from one of the worst natural calamities, Kerala Tourism has regained the pre-floods tourist footfalls, registering an impressive growth rate of 14.81 per cent in the second quarter of the current year as against the figures of the corresponding period a year earlier. There was an increase of 639,271 tourists (both domestic and foreign) during April-June this year as compared to the figure during the corresponding period in the previous year. In the first quarter (January-March), the total number of tourist arrivals was 46,12,937 as compared to 43,18,406 during the same period in 2018. The ... Read more

Tourist guides are the real ambassadors of Kerala Tourism: Kadakampally

Tourist guides who help the visitors know and experience the places they visit are the true ambassadors of Kerala Tourism, Hon Minister for Tourism, Co-operation and Devaswom Kadakampally Surendran said on Saturday. He was speaking after presenting licenses and certificates for those who completed the training programme for regional and state level tourist guides conducted by Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS) in association with the State Tourism Department. “Services rendered by well-trained guides to Kerala Tourism is invaluable. It is due to their competence and sincere efforts that tourists enjoy the unique attractions that the state offer ... Read more

Champions Boat League to mark monsoon season on world tourism, sporting calendar

Having all the trappings of a global spectacle, Kerala Tourism’s Champions Boat League (CBL), India’s first-ever water-based boat racing patterned on the IPL format of cricket, will make its debut next month. Hon. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will flag off the event on August 10, on the sidelines of the famed Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Alappuzha, in the presence of Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. “Every detail has been worked out meticulously for the hassle-free conduct of the event. The preparations are moving to the final stages, “Hon. Minister for Tourism, Co-operation and Devaswom Kadakampally Surendran told a press conference ... Read more

Tourism Minister presents “Nishagandhi Sangeetha Puraskaram”

Before a packed audience of artists, connoisseurs and music lovers, the inaugural “Nishagandhi Sangeetha Puraskaram” was presented to eminent musicians Padma  Parassala B Ponnammal and Padma Bhushan Dr. T V. Gopalakrishnan by Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Cooperation and Devaswom, Kadakampally Surendran, for their outstanding contributions to music, on Wednesday. Instituted by Kerala Tourism, the coveted honour, which carries Rs 1.5 lakh, citation and memento, was given away at the valedictory function of the five-day music festival Nishagandhi Monsoon Ragas at Nishagandhi Auditorium, Kanakakunnu Palace, here. In his address, the Minister noted that in the coming years the music festival will ... Read more

Kovalam, Munnar, Alappuzha, Kumarakom, Wayanad, Fort Kochi, Kollam, Thekkady, & Bakel to go garbage, plastic-free

Seeking to keep prime tourism destinations across Kerala plastic and garbage free, Hon. Minister for Tourism, Co-operation and Devaswom Kadakampally Surendran today launched the “Clean Kerala Initiative,” piloted by Responsible Tourism Mission with the co-operation of the stake-holders in the tourism sector. Flagging off the project and a two-day workshop at Chaithram Hotel here, Surendran lauded the role of Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission in rejuvenating the tourism sector by promoting good practices like the “Green Code of Conduct.” “Responsible Tourism Mission (RT) is not just a propaganda tool of the government but it is an integral component of the tourism ... Read more

ATTOI to hold International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) in September

The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations (ATTOI), in association with Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, is all set to host the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) in Kochi to address the challenges related with technology faced by Indian tourism and hospitality industry. The two-day long event will begin on September 26, 2019 and will be concluded on September 27, on the World Tourism Day. Around 500 delegates including tour operators, hoteliers, resort owners, homestays, SEO (search engine optimization) companies, software firms, social media marketing companies and bloggers, are expected to attend the conference at Le Meridian hotel, Kochi. ... Read more

Five-day “Nishagandhi Monsoon Ragas” Music Fest to begin on July 20

Eminent classical musicians Padma Parassala B Ponnammal and Padma Bhushan Dr. T V Gopalakrishnan have been selected for the inaugural Nishagandhi Sangeetha Puraskaram, instituted by Kerala Tourism to honour artists who have made outstanding contributions to music. Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Cooperation and Devaswom made the announcement at a press conference here on Wednesday. The honour carries Rs 1.5 lakh, citation and memento. Nishagandhi Monsoon Ragaas, the five-day music festival organized by the Kerala Tourism Department, will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Governor of Kerala Rtd Justice P Sathasivam on July 20, at 6.15 PM at Kanakakunnu Palace. Minister for ... Read more