Kerala 360° Event at Hyderabad

Experience the Bestwith God's Own Country!

Hyderabad, 20th January, 2015: Kerala popularly known as God's Own Country is the perfect holiday destination of India; from picturesque landscapes, exciting getaways to rich culture and heritage the state has a lot to showcase. As a ritual, the state brings you a 360 degree preview of India's favorite destination; the essence of the state being captured in one single event. The idea is to witness the rich culture, extravagant heritage, magnificent landscapes, cuisine, music and art all in one show.

Kerala Tourism attracts more tourists with new initiatives!
• In 2013, foreign tourists' arrival up by 8.12%
• Domestic tourists' arrival up by 7.75%
• Increase in foreign exchange earnings by 21.63%
• Total Revenue Rs. 22,926.55 crore

Kerala as the most preferred destination for both Domestic and Internationals Tourists.

Foreign tourist arrivals went up from 7,94,696 in 2012 to 8,58,143 during the 12-month period from January 2013 registering an increase of 8.12 percent. The domestic tourist arrivals also registered a 7.75 percent variation with the arrivals going up from 1,00,76,854 in 2012 to 1,08,57,811 last year.

The total revenue, both direct and indirect, from the tourism sector touched Rs. 22,926.55 crore compared to Rs. 21,125 crore in 2012. The 12.22 percent increase shows the contribution of tourism to the State. Foreign exchange earnings received by the tourism industry in the State went up from Rs. 4,571.69 crore in 2012 to Rs. 5.560.77 crore in 2013. The 21.63 percentage increase reflects how well the travel trade in the State has done in the International market.
Initiatives in God's Own Country.

Government of Kerala has rolled out a lot of initiatives till date, 'Seaplane Project' and 'Project Muziris'; being the latest projects which were rolled out last year in order to enhance the travel experience and add to its array of attractions.

Where the former project is aimed towards improving last mile connectivity by air to its destinations across the state, the latter is directed to reinstate the historical and cultural significance of the legendary port of Muziris, which makes a part of Centra I Kerala.

For the Seaplane Project, the immediate plan is to provide service initially in the priority circuit, consisting of the three airports of Trivandrum, Cochin & Calicut and the prime destinations viz. Astamudi, Punnamada, Kumarakom, Bolgatty and Bekal in the state.

The Marketing Initiatives for the year 2015 are aimed at Value of Money off season packages targeting some important cities of the country namely; Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Surat.

The state aims at being part of all International and Domestic Trade Fairs and Road Shows like MITT Moscow, TUR Gottenburg, ITB Berlin, Dusseldorf Germany, Berlin Germany, Milan Italy, London UK. The Domestic trade fairs include TTF, Chennai, I ITT Mumbai, TTF Bangalore, IITM Kochi, ITM Chandigarh and many more.
Hop On Hop Off Boats.

The Hop on Hop off Boats service was started as a part of Kerala Tourism's many other initiatives in the year 2014. As part of its innovative water-based tourism facilities, the Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Ltd., under the state's Department of Tourism, launched the Hop-on Hop-off boat service and Water Taxis, for the first time in India, in the backwaters of Kochi and in the Spice Route project of Muziris.

Keeping up with the Virtual World.
In a short span of time, Kerala Tourism has made a mark in the Digital world. Kerala Tourism has 1 million plus Facebookfans, 30,000 plus Twitter followers, 1900 plus Instagram followers, 380 plus Pinterest followers, 700 plus Foursquare followers, the Kerala Tourism YouTube channel has 7,189 subscribers and 8,578,373 views. We also have More than 250+ articles on Kerala, Backwaters and Ayurveda published in guest blogs.

The new website has been launched recently with a fresh look and increased accessibility with more information, 1500 pictures and 3000 videos.
Kerala Tourism's website, which attracts the maximum number of visitors, has been translated into various Indian languages like Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu, as well as foreign languages including Dutch, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish.

Kerala has emerged as the No. 1 travel destination of the country in Google search trends, edging out TajMahal. This is a testimony to the international recognition of brand Kerala.

Cultural Events showcasing in Kerala.

Nishagandhi Festival: January
The annual festival will be held from January 20th - 28th, 2015. Renowned dancers perform BharataNatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kathak, Odissi, Modern Ballet and other folk forms. Artist and connoisseurs of dance from all over India come to enjoy this cultural treat. The festival is organised by the Kerala Tourism.

On the trail of the Spice Route.
Another amazing initiative in the offering is the Spice Route Revival Project. Kerala's initiative to revive and promote the two millennia-old spice route, that links the south western coast of India up to Europe, through tourism has received a boost, with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) pledging support to the venture.

Other Noteworthy Projects.
Kerala Tourism has come out with a unique nature based soft adventure holidays program NATVENTURE. The idea behind this is to use the key tourism products - Wildlife, Hill Stations, Beaches, Backwaters, etc. and engage the possibilities of adventure activities they offer. Kerala Natventure activities include Trekking, Camping, Rock Climbing, Jungle, Wildlife Safaris, Bird Watching, Cycling, Kayaking, Canoeing and Paragliding.

Another forward initiative isthe launch of the new 'Great Backwaters' campaign. The campaign aims at unveiling the state's majestic backwaters as a single unique destination.

A new campaign, 'Home of Ayurveda' was also launched to promote Ayurveda through all media. 'Bake!' has been introduced as a new destination in North Kerala.
From a seasonal tourist place, Kerala was elevated to an all season destination through a successful Dream Season campaign launched during the off-season.
Awards and Accolades.

Kerala Tourism also bagged a number of national as well as international awards such as the National Tourism Award for the Best Rural Tourism Project in Kumarakom, ITB Berlin-Golden City Gate Award (Print Campaign), Best Family & Best Value for Money Destination and many more.

So what are you waiting for? The real award is for the people who visit the state and take back amazing memories from God's Own Country. See you in Kerala!