Tourism News

Utsavam - the festival of arts

Published in Newsletter Issue No. 196 - Dec-01-2009

The third edition of 'Utsavam', the festival of arts, organized by the Kerala Tourism was inaugurated by the Minister for Tourism, Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on December 5 at Kozhikode. Secretary, Kerala Tourism, Dr. Venu V., welcomed the gathering of the inaugural function, which was held at the Sarovaram Bio-Park in Kozhikode.

Delivering his inaugural address, the minister said that events like 'Utsavam' and the just started Grand Kerala Shopping Festival would keep travellers busy in Kerala during the ongoing peak tourist season. The two-year-old global economic recession had not affected the tourism sector in the State and on the contrary, Kerala witnessed a steady growth of nearly 17 per cent when compared to the previous year, he added. Also present during the occasion was the Minister for Industries, Mr. Elamaram Karim, who released the festival calendar.

A cultural feast of Kerala, 'Utsavam' aims to promote tourism through various indigenous art forms. Programs will be held in all the fourteen districts of Kerala. The three-month long festival (December 5 to February 28) would have more than 70 art forms; featuring nearly 1000 artistes. They would entertain audiences on Saturdays and Sundays during the festival period. The event has been conceived and presented as a meaningful tribute given to the folk as well as traditional art forms of Kerala, besides inviting the attention of travellers in Kerala.

The event has won recognitions in the form of the Pacific Asia Travellers' Association (PATA) Gold Award 2008 for Culture / Heritage and the National Tourism Award 2008 for the Most Innovative Tourism Project.

For more details log on to http://www.keralatourism.org/utsavam/