Kerala’s best foot forward
With the launch of the ‘Visit Kerala 2015-16’ campaign, the state expects to receive more and more tourists.
Dr Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) and MoS for Civil Aviation, launched “Visit Kerala” 2015-16, an all-year tourism campaign that promises to present travellers to Kerala, a lifetime experience of the state’s natural beauty, cultural splendour, culinary traditions and hospitality.
“Kerala needs to be promoted across the world,” says Dr Sharma, who promises central assistance to the state to raise the profile of the state as a top tourist destination in the world. Describing cleanliness, security and hospitality as the three major ingredients of a successful tourism model, Dr Sharma says the country needs to propagate its culture and heritage around the world through tourism.
He says, “Kerala has got a lot of potential in form of greenery and heritage. I promise that the state will receive all kinds of help from the Ministry and the Government of India to promote itself.”
Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister, Kerala, addressed the launch ceremony of ‘Visit Kerala’ through a video message. He said that visitors to Kerala during 2015-16 would find the state’s destinations more attractive and full of surprises.
Dr Lalit K Panwar, Union Tourism Secretary, Govt of India, who was also present at the event, says that creativity and imagination by the state tourism department have sustained the visitor’s interest in Kerala over the years.
“Ayurveda and backwaters would be incorporated in Central Government’s global tourism promotion campaign,” Dr Panwar says, adding that Kerala has become as a “role model” for other states in promoting tourism through its multidimensional programmes.
A P Anilkumar, Tourism Minister, Kerala, says, “Starting this Vishu (Kerala New Year), on April 15, up to the next Vishu in 2016, every visitor to Kerala will experience the state like never before. Every visitor will take home memories that will last a lifetime.”
Anilkumar says that this year the ‘Visit Kerala’ campaign has been launched to give special packages to tourists travelling to the state. He says, “We are in talks with airlines that will provide special discounted fares to the state to attract more visitors.” He informs that only 25,000 foreign tourists arrived in Kerala when the Kerala tourism campaign was started 20 years ago. But recently 9 lakh 35 thousand foreign tourists was declared to have visited the state with the number of domestic tourists touching over one crore.