Tourism News

Kerala Tourism Campaigns Win Big at Polish Film Festival

Published in Newsletter Issue No. 274 - June 2016

Further buttressing Kerala’s position as a prime destination for responsible tourism, Kerala Tourism bagged a clutch of awards at FilmAT, one of the biggest international film festivals dedicated to tourism, art and ecology in Poland.

Its much-feted Responsible Tourism initiative won three gongs at the 11th edition of the festival held recently in the Polish city of Lublin, taking top honours for the ‘Best Promotional Social Campaign’ and in the ‘Protection of Nature’ and ‘Eco-Food’, categories.

 A fourth award, for ‘Best Editing’, was conferred on Kerala Tourism for the film The Great Backwaters of Kerala, which showcased life in and around the legendary backwaters.  

“Winning four awards at such a prestigious festival is a significant achievement for Kerala. It speaks about our commitment in realizing the State’s potential for international tourism in a responsible manner,” said Mr. A. C. Moideen, Minister for Tourism, Kerala.

Starring real people and site-authentic stories of tourists visiting local communities, sharing home-made meals, and watching and engaging in cultural performances, the ‘New Worlds’ multimedia campaign featuring three short films reflect the idea that when the world comes to Kerala, new horizons open up.

 “They are lessons for tourist destinations and tourism organisations to travel down the road to sustainability, which is a two-way street with a delicate balance of old ways and new frontiers; traditions and opportunities,” said Mr. U V Jose, Director, Kerala Tourism.

Conceived and scripted by Stark Communications, Kerala Tourism’s creative and brand management agency and directed by reputed Malayalam filmmaker Anwar Rasheed, the three shorts films promoted as ‘New Worlds’ are snapshot vignettes into one of the world’s best implemented Responsible Tourism campaigns.