Wooing tourists back to 'God's own country'

Stung with a sharp fall in tourist arrivals-- both international and domestic, Kerala Tourism is gearing up to weave a new magic with attractive packages and catchy slogans to woo visitors.

According to the latest figures, there has been a fall of nearly eight per cent in the arrival of international tourists and 2.9 per cent in domestic travellers to 'God's own country' during the first quarter of this year.

State Tourism Minister K C Venugopal and tourism secretary E K Bharat Bhooshan swung into action and held discussions with the stake holders on ways to package Kerala more attractively to the tourists.

With monsoon having already set in Kerala, it will be a lean season for the next three months. So, the tourism department is planning to give discounts on various packages, Bharat Bhooshan said.

The hospitality industry has also been asked to keep their prices low to attract the wanderlust. With several international airlines cutting their fares and packaging their countries well, Kerala seems to have been hit the hardest.

Bhooshan rued that the state was being "discriminated" by national carriers, for a traveller willing to visit Kerala will have to shell out about Rs 30,000 alone on airfare, but spends lesser when travelling to international destinations like Sri Lanka, Singapore and Indonesia.

Tourism industry sources said new destinations would have to be tapped and innovative packaging methods devised to bring in new travellers.

While the state's best known destinations like Kovalam, and Kumarakkom have been over exploited, efforts are on to market newer destinations, especially in Malabar, where areas like Wyanad, Sultan Bathery and Kasaragod are waiting to be tapped.

Kerala has always been packaged as a destination for backwater tourism, wildlife tourism, beach tourism and Ayurveda.

Private entrepreneurs are now trying to market the state as a 'romantic" destination with a "Kerala wedding package" to include traditional marriage festivities, including girls with oil lamps to greet the bride and groom, arrangement of rituals and a week long honeymoon trip at an exotic locale.

Those wishing to be far from the madding crowd and long for an escape from the strain of urban life and hectic schedules, Kerala is the right destination, according to the travel industry.