Kerala Tourism is on a new high, fuelled by the enthusiastic response that the State evoked among domestic tourists in 2009. Much lauded for its zest for marketing ventures, Kerala Tourism is all set to kick off a three-month long campaign across the various States in India to attract more domestic visitors this year.
The partnership meets which are basically half-day business meetings aim at showcasing the State’s tourist destinations, unique tourism products and services. The events will be held in major cities and are expected to be the ideal platforms for the stakeholders in the tourism industry to forge new business ties. Besides the partnership meets, the Tourism Department will organise 11 road shows in various States up to April 26 to woo domestic tourists to Kerala.The shows will also feature screening of films on the destinations and tourism products, interactive session, media interaction and staging of cultural programmes, all aimed at attracting more domestic tourists to Kerala.
Tourism officials attribute Kerala tourism’s buoyancy during the global economic crisis to the influx of domestic tourism supported by the enthusiastic marketing campaigns conducted last year. As many as 11 road shows were organised in 2009. In fact, it was arrival of domestic tourists in Kovalam that helped the beach destination to wade through the crisis created by global recession and non-arrival of chartered flights.
As in 2009, the Tourism Department will directly organise the partnership meetings. Hoteliers, tour operators, home stay promoters and owners of Ayurvedic centres are expected to attend the meetings. Consumer-oriented activities are also scheduled in some cities. Strategies are being invented to market holiday packages to attract the employees of corporate companies based in major cities. The plan is to also woo those who avail of leave travel concessions.

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