Tourism News

Kerala Tourism has once again made its mark in the national level, when it bagged six national tourism awards (2007-08).

The awards won are in the following categories:

?Best Innovative Tourism Project? went to ?Utsavam?, a cultural initiative from Kerala, first of its kind, aimed at showcasing Kerala?s glorious cultural heritage to the world. Utsavam portrays the traditional art forms of Kerala in all the 14 districts for a period of four months.

Kerala won the ?Most Innovative Adventure Activity award for its ?International Paragliding Championship, VAGA Fest? organized by Kerala Tourism in association with ?The Adventure Sports and Sustainable Tourism Academy (ASSTA) in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The event witnessed the participation of a large number of national and international gliders.

?Best Responsible Tourism Project? award went to the ?Better Together? ? Responsible Tourism Initiatives of Kerala Tourism. According prime importance to ?Responsible Tourism? in all its developmental activities, Kerala Tourism conducted a two-day state-level workshop on Responsible Tourism on a pilot basis in four destinations ? Kumarakom, Thekkady, Wayanad and Kovalam. This was followed by hosting the ?Second International Conference on Responsible Tourism? and the adoption of the Kerala Declaration. The award was a recognition of the systematic efforts taken by Kerala Tourism to mainstream Responsible Tourism in its action plan.

The ongoing efforts of Kerala Tourism to popularize its tourism attractions paved way to the sponsorship of a DVD series titled ?Rhapsodies from God?s Own Country,? which won the award for the ?Best Film.? Produced by Invis Multimedia, the ever-inspiring natural beauty of Kerala and its outstanding cultural heritage have been assiduously portrayed and meticulously presented in a set of eight DVDs.

Another laurel for Kerala came through the Cochin Port Trust, when it was awarded the ?Best Tourism Friendly Port.? Of late, it has become the most preferred port of call in India. It has played host to all classes of cruise vessels that include Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Legend of the Seas and Queen Elizabeth 2, to name just a few. The port recently attracted international attention, when it successfully hosted the India stopover of the prestigious Volvo Ocean Race.

The award for ?Best Tourism Friendly Golf Club? was bagged by Trivandrum Golf Club the second oldest golf course in India. It was formerly an exclusive preserve of the British Resident and members of the Travancore royal family. This nine-hole golf course is a major tourist attraction and several domestic and foreign tourists who visit Kerala, make use of its excellent facilities.

The Minister for Tourism, Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, said that these awards once again underscores the commitment of Kerala Tourism to quality and innovation. According to Dr. Venu V., Secretary, Kerala Tourism, the consistent recognitions for Kerala Tourism in the national level clearly indicates one thing. And that is, Kerala is a vibrant and exciting travel destination that never ceases to amaze its visitors, irrespective of age groups, foreign or domestic.

The private sector partners of Kerala Tourism namely M/s. Jayashree Travels & Tourism, M/s. Panicker?s Travel (India) Pvt. Ltd., M/s. CGH Earth also bagged the awards and once again the national award ceremony was a testimonial to the strong public private partnership that has evolved in the state.