TravTalk India Online Magazine
Kerala has unveiled a number of groundbreaking products, including heli-tourism, at Kerala Tourism B2B Partnership meeting, held in Delhi recently. Sky Escapes, the heli-tourism project, will connect top destinations in the state to promote tourism. The initiatives are part of the government’s aggressive approach to increase domestic tourist footfall in the state.
Amita Pandey
Kerala, known as God’s Own Country, is one of the most coveted destinations due to its unique geography and features like serene backwaters, enthralling beaches, and mystic hill stations with sprawling tea and spice plantations. The state registered 159.69 lakh domestic visitors between January and September in 2023, resulting in an impressive growth of 19.34 per cent.
To further augment the numbers, Kerala Tourism recently unveiled groundbreaking products, including heli-tourism, yard tourism, and wedding destinations during Kerala Tourism B2B Partnership meet, held in Delhi in January 2024. During the event, PB Nooh, Director, Kerala Tourism, also showcased tourism products, innovative tourism circuits, and multiple initiatives taken for infrastructure development.
Sky Escapes, the heli-tourism project unveiled at the event, aims to connect top destinations in the state to promote tourism. “With the launch of Sky Escapes, Kerala has become the first state in the country to do so,” Nooh said.
Wedding Tourism & M!CE
Kerala Tourism is also promoting the state as an ideal and diverse wedding destination by leveraging its picturesque destinations and connectivity. “The government is committed to creating a conducive environment for destination weddings, subsequently boosting tourism and local economies,” Nooh said. Appreciating how Kerala seamlessly hosted G20 Sherpa meeting at a small village like Kumarakom, he also asserted the state’s preparedness to host more such events. Highlighting the accommodation capacity as the strength of Kerala, he mentioned, “Accommodation wise Kerala is at the forefront, but we are identifying the gaps related to other infrastructure development for bigger conferences, and trying to plug in.”
Domestic tourism
He emphasised that post-COVID, Kerala Tourism has crafted an aggressive marketing strategy to bolster the presence of domestic tourists in the state through campaigns like ‘Make up for lost time, pack up for Kerala’, which has received PATA Gold Award for innovative promotional initiative. “Kerala’s USP is its partnership with other stakeholders of the industry, consistently providing inputs for evolving products,” Nooh said.
Inbound tourism
To put Kerala on the global adventure tourism map, the government is hosting four international adventure sporting events in 2024, as adventure tourism is expected to grow 20 per cent by 2032 worldwide. Moreover, in the last two decades, Kerala has been conducting B2B meetings regularly, especially in Europe.
Adventure sporting events in 2024
- International Paragliding Festival at Vagamon, Idukki from 14 to 17 March
- International Surfing Festival at Varkala from 29 to 31 March
- Mega Mountain Biking event at Priyadarshini tea plantation, Mananthavady, Wayanad, from 26 to 28 April
- Malabar River Festival at Kodencherry, Kozhikode from 25 to 28 July
