Government of Kerala has rolled out two new initiatives: ‘Seaplane Project’ and ‘Project Muziris’, in order to enhance the travel experience and add to its array of attractions. Where the former project is aimed towards improving last mile connectivity by air to its destinations across the state, the latter is directed to reinstate the historical and cultural significance of the legendary port of Muziris, which makes a part of Central Kerala.
For the Seaplane Project, the immediate plan is to provide service initially in the priority circuit, consisting of the three airports of Trivandrum, Cochin & Calicut and the prime destinations viz. Astamudi, Punnamada, Kumarakom, Bolgatty and Bekal in the state.
The Muziris Heritage Site (MHS) stretches across from the municipality of North Paravur in Ernakulam district to that of Kodungalloor in Thrissur district. The project’s objective is to promote awareness and understanding of the cultural distinctiveness and diversity of Muziris. More than 25 museums will be there to showcase the Muziris Heritage.
Another initiative in the offing is the Spice Route Revival Project. Kerala’s initiative to revive and promote the two millennia-old spice route, that links the south western coast of India up to Europe, through tourism has received a boost, with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) pledging support to the venture.
Furthermore, Kerala Tourism has come out with a unique nature based soft adventure holidays program Natventure. The idea behind this is to use the key tourism products – wildlife, hill stations, beaches, backwaters, etc. and engage the possibilities of adventure activities they offer. Kerala Natventure activities include trekking, camping, rock climbing, jungle, wildlife safaris, bird watching, cycling, kayaking, canoeing and paragliding.
A new campaign, ‘Home of Ayurveda’ was also launched to promote Ayurveda through all media. ‘Bakel’ has been introduced as a new destination in North Kerala. The launch of the new ‘Great Backwaters’ campaign aims at unveiling the state’s majestic backwaters as a single unique destination. From a seasonal tourist place, Kerala was elevated to an all season destination through a successful Dream Season campaign launched during the off-season.
A new website has been launched recently with a fresh look and increased accessibility with more information, 1500 pictures and 3000 videos.
Foreign tourist arrivals went up from 7,94,696 in 2012 to 8,58,143 during the 12-month period from January 2013 registering an increase of 8.12 percent. The domestic tourist arrivals also registered a 7.75 percent variation with the arrivals going up from 1,00,76,854 in 2012 to 1,08,57,811 last year.
The total revenue, both direct and indirect, from the tourism sector touched Rs. 22, 926.55 crore compared to Rs. 21,125 crores in 2012. The 12.22 percent increase shows the contribution of tourism to the State. Foreign exchange earnings received by the tourism industry in the State went up from Rs. 4,571.69 crores in 2012 to Rs. 5.560.77 crores in 2013. The 21.63 percentage increase reflects how well the travel trade in the state has done in the international market.
