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Kerala Tourism’s new campaign on Responsible Tourism has bagged the prestigious Golden City Gate Award at the world’s leading travel trade show, ITB in the German capital, Berlin.
Titled ‘New Worlds’, the multimedia campaign containing three short films directed by reputed Malayalam filmmaker Anwar Rasheed won the silver prize of this year’s Das Golden Stadttor or Golden City Gate, dubbed the Oscar of Tourism communication, at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2016.
Mr. Wolfgang Jo Huschert, President of the Jury of the “Golden City Gate Award presented the award to Mr. Abraham George, President, Kerala Travel Mart.
Conceived and scripted by Stark Communications, Kerala Tourism’s creative and brand management agency, the films tell heart-warming stories from one of the world’s successfully implemented Responsible Tourism campaigns.
‘New Worlds’ portray the importance of such Responsible Tourism initiatives, which have led to several life-changing stories that have become the heart of the campaign – an affirmation of what Responsible Tourism can do for the traveller, the local community, traditions and nature.
The award is a significant achievement for Kerala, which has committed itself to practicing global tourism in a responsible manner with the interests of the local people and the planet in mind. Tourism policies in Kerala, tempered by an understanding of the uniqueness of the destination, have created a positive impact on the larger interests of the people, on the destinations, natural treasures and on the vibrant culture of the state.
Real people have been cast instead of actors and models in the films, and the stories are set in the same locations in Kerala that they actually took place in. The films, which show tourists visiting local communities, sharing home-made meals, and watching and engaging in cultural performances, demonstrate the vision that when the world comes to Kerala, new worlds open up.
This is as true for local communities, for whom jobs are being created and whose traditional ways of living are being preserved, as for travellers.
The films attempt to present in a real, authentic environment, a set of true stories of transformation and preservation involving tourism and the local communities, inspiring travellers, destinations and tourism organisations to travel further on the road to sustainability.
