Kerala tops the list as the ‘Most Welcoming Region’ in India

Kerala has topped the list as the ‘Most Welcoming Region’ in India, according to a survey conducted by leading digital travel platform Booking.com.

Kerala wins ‘Hall of Fame’ title at the National Tourism Awards

In a major endorsement of its sustainable tourism practices, Kerala has been accorded the prestigious “Hall of Fame” status for being the Best State/UT in the category of ‘Comprehensive Development of Tourism’ for the fourth consecutive year at the National Tourism Awards 2018-19 presented at a function held in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Kozhikode’s District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) was adjudged the best in the category. The awards were presented by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi at a function presided over by Tourism and Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy.

The Hall of Fame status is given to a State/Union Territory or an organisation, which has won the National Tourism Award in a particular category for the last three consecutive years and also wins it for the fourth time in the same category. However, the winner of this status is not eligible to apply for the same category for the next three years.

The citation for the ‘Comprehensive Development of Tourism’ award reads: “Kerala’s stress on sustainability is perfectly complemented by innovative marketing and promotional techniques, helping it evolve into a paradigm for Responsible Tourism.” As for DTPC Kozhikode, it mainly concentrates on the district tourism promotional activities on various beaches, bio-parks, hill stations, improvement of signages, and sanitation by working with local governments, heritage conservation, and preservation, coordination of tourism clubs, and creation of tourism awareness.

Two other entities of Kerala received the award – Taj Kumarakom, Kottayam for the Best 4-Star Hotel and Manaltheeram Ayurvedic Hospital and Research Centre Pvt Ltd for the Best Wellness Centre in the Southern Region. Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) Managing Director V. Vigneshwari received the awards on behalf of Kerala Tourism. Tourism Minister P. A. Mohamed Riyas said the Hall of Fame status in a very important category of award and is quite significant as it is an eloquent testimony to the State’s sustained efforts to promote tourism through a string of innovative measures both in India and outside.

Kerala tops the list as the ‘Most Welcoming Region’ in India

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan. 31: Kerala has topped the list as the ‘Most Welcoming Region’ in India, according to a survey conducted by leading digital travel platform Booking.com.

Announcing the recipients of its tenth annual Traveller Review Awards, the travel platform said the results were based on more than 232 million verified reviews from real travellers.

Kerala was followed by Goa, Puducherry, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh as the ranking took into account the hospitality, friendliness and welcoming staff of these regions as well as health and hygiene in view of the evolving status of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three cities of Kerala – Mararikulam, Thekkady and Varkala – also feature among the top five ‘Most Welcoming Cities’ in India with the first two positions going to Palolem and Agonda (both in Goa). All these cities reveal the liking of domestic travellers for coastal getaways.

Kerala Tourism Director Shri V R Krishna Teja said the awards are both timely and significant as these are based on verified reviews from millions of real travellers. “We have launched several big-ticket projects, including ‘Keravan Kerala' that seeks to tap the potential of little-known destinations. These awards will spur us to act with renewed vigour,” he noted.

Among the recently launched projects by Kerala Tourism are the creation of a 'bio bubble' mechanism, ‘Keravan Kerala', the biodiversity circuit, the Malabar literary circuit, Agri- tourism Network, in-car dining. Plans are also underway to develop Beypore as a model Responsible Tourism hub which would bring to world attention the heritage of the ancient port town.

The awards also highlighted hotels as the most welcoming accommodation type by Indians followed by homestay, resort, guesthouse and apartments. The 2022 Most Welcoming Regions on Earth include Gorenjska (Slovenia) followed by Taitung County (Taiwan) and Tasmania (Australia). India (9062) ranked ahead of Colombia (8082), New Zealand (7355), Taiwan (7350), and Chile (7267).

Ritu Mehrotra, Regional Manager, South Asia at Booking.com said, “As travel dynamics continue to change, it’s heartening to see the love travellers have expressed for the destinations as recognized by Booking.com’s Traveller Review Awards 2022”.

Kerala Tourism bags PATA Gold Award for its marketing campaign

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 07: Kerala Tourism has bagged the prestigious Gold Award of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) for 2022 in Printed Marketing Campaign category, in a huge recognition of the government’s sustained efforts to position the state as a major global destination in the post-pandemic world.

Kerala Tourism Director Shri P B Nooh received the award from Ms. Liz Ortiguera, CEO, PATA and Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandez, Director, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) in a virtual ceremony. “PATA Gold Award comes as a high honour for Kerala Tourism, which has stepped up efforts to market the state as a major global destination. It is also significant to note that this award comes shortly after Time magazine cited Kerala as one of the 50 extraordinary destinations to explore in 2022,” said Tourism Minister Shri PA Mohammed Riyas.

“Our sustained marketing campaign has already started yielding results as the state has been witnessing a high footfall of both the domestic and international visitors since the turn of this year,” Shri Riyas added.

“PATA Grand Award is a huge affirmation of the brilliance of our marketing campaigns at a time when Kerala Tourism is poised to scale greater heights,” said Shri K S Srinivas, Principal Secretary, Tourism.

PATA Gold Awards, now in its 38th year, recognize the best in marketing, creativity and innovation tailored for the Asia Pacific region and beyond. Staying current with industry trends and innovation, PATA updated its PATA Gold Awards programme by introducing two new categories, Tourism Destination Resilience (Global) and Tourism Destination Resilience (Asia Pacific).

In all, 25 individual awards for specific themes were awarded. All award recipients were honoured at the virtual PATA Gold Awards Ceremony on Friday, October 7, 2022. Kerala has been featured prominently in national and international channels, newspapers, magazines, portals and airport displays, helping the state to regain its reputation as a must- visit destination after the pandemic-triggered crisis.