Tourism Clubs to come up in College Campuses
To tap the potential of students in marketing tourist destinations, Kerala has launched a project to form tourism clubs in major college campuses across the state. The Department of Tourism will provide funds for the club activities, which will be in charge of the upkeep of 25 tourism destinations. They will especially ensure the hygiene of each property, said the Tourism Minister Mr P. A. Mohammed Riyas.
The campus clubs will pave the way for new tourism trends and create interest in travel among students, Mr Riyas said. “The plan includes identifying future tourism professionals among students who can also help market the destinations using social media platforms. We want to tap the potential of good bloggers among students and use their talent for marketing the state’s tourism attractions in front of a wider audience,” said Mr Riyas. The Minister for Higher Education Ms R. Bindu said the clubs will encourage students to identify new tourism products and contribute to the growth of the tourism sector.
The clubs will seek to nurture an international perspective among students, encourage them to take an active role in Nature conservation and environmental activities and engage them in identifying new tourist locales. The members of the clubs will have their uniforms, which will be the same in all campuses, as well as ID cards. They will be given certificates jointly by the departments of Tourism and Higher Education.