SUPERBRANDS 2012

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keralatourism.org

KERALA TOURISM
and the first of its kind in India was inaugurated in Kochi. For the first time a special Ayurveda campaign and a related workshop, showcasing Kerala as the Home of Ayurveda was held in Germany.

adventure holidays, farm and village tours as well as tree house and homestay experiences. Eco tourism has also been added to the product range under a united brand Kerala by Nature.

Recent Developments
One of the main objectives of the new tourism policy of Kerala is to ensure a memorable

Promotion
Kerala Tourism has always adopted comprehensive, time-specific, highly visible and well thought out marketing strategies. Its media vehicles have been an all embracing mix of print and television, out-of-home and new media with extensive participation in national and international travel marts, tourism fairs and road shows supporting its above-the-line effort. In one of its biggest marketing coups ever, Kerala Tourism unveiled its latest destination campaign film Your Moment is Waiting to a star studded audience at the Saatchi Gallery in London on 21st September 2010. The red carpet event during London Fashion Week drew the who's who of London including soccer stars Didier Drogba and Gary Linekar, actors Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, glamour couple Yasmin and Simon Le Bon, British MPs Lord Swaraj Paul and Keith Vaz. Olympic Gold medalist Christine

From an inconsequential blip on Indias map to one of the world's 50 must-see destinations, Kerala has come a long way. Its shift from mass tourism to quality tourism is one of the most successful strategic moves ever conceived and implemented in the tourism business. Over the years, the brand has developed new products and new packages. Remarkably, each has been enveloped in the fold of responsible tourism a practice that ensures the continued well-being of our planet.
The Kerala homestay experience

The Dream Season campaign

Kerala; Utsavam was aimed at sensitising the world to Kerala's glorious cultural heritage and the Grand Kerala Shopping Festival focussed on Kerala as a shopping destination. Kerala also played host to the Hay Festival, a literary fest featuring authors, thinkers and performers from across the world in 2010 and 2011.

Brand Values
Few tourist destinations are as sensitive to the environment as Kerala is. In a series of innovative offerings Kerala has rebranded tourism and shown that even with restrictions that help safeguard the planet, tourism can still flourish. Community-inclusive and experiencecentric products, eco-friendly practices, transparent quality control systems and a longterm approach to tourism and tourists are all hallmarks of Kerala's very special thrust. While aggressive and creative marketing has been the key to building the Kerala brand, its change in focus from mass to quality tourism, from showcasing products to creating experiences and from making transactions to building relationships, helps the destination connect with the new-age traveller.

Market
When markets went into a downward spiral, one of the first industries to be hit was the leisure market. Tourism went into a tail spin with hotel occupancies plummeting and airlines closing aircraft doors to dozens of unsold seats. Destinations which hummed with activity during their peak seasons were sullenly silent. To this disquiet, however, there was a silver lining: Kerala Tourism.

France are now being supplemented by several countries in Europe as well as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Australia and the US.

Awards and the first Lonely Planet Magazine India Travel Awards 2012 for the Best Destination for Families (Indian).

Achievements
Kerala has been labelled as one of the 50 mustsee destinations of a lifetime and is increasingly becoming a favourite haunt of the rich and famous. Richard Branson, Sadie Frost and Meg Mathew are some of those who visited the state. Picked up by the National Geographic Adventure as One of the 25 Best New Adventure Trips, Kerala is also fast

History

Till the 1960s, Kerala was just another state in India, albeit with a rich cultural heritage of arts and crafts. It was then discovered by backpackers who explored its pristine beaches and rediscovered its many charms. As word-ofmouth spread, these became sought-after destinations, although, to begin with, for low-end tourism. This was the inflection point. Tourism had taken root and in a span of ten short years, India's new tourism wonder child was born. Its biggest challenge was to shift from proletariat tourism to one that catered to the upper-end of the segment, as well. Unique tourism products such as houseboats and Ayurveda, in which Kerala has a rich tradition, were developed. The state government's emphasis on marketing the destination by inviting private investment and promoting tourism products paid off. The successful The Vogue fashion shoot in Kerala Kerala Tourisms new campaign Your Moment is Waiting growth story of Over the years, Keralas growth in tourism has gaining popularity among travellers in search of Kerala's tourism industry is a demonstration of been dramatic. Indeed, tourism in Kerala the unique private-public synergy that new experiences. concomitantly helped the growth of the state. flourished, driving away the despair of other Kerala Tourism also bagged four awards, including one Grand and three Gold titles at the markets. Arrivals shot up to 10.11 million in Product 2011, generating revenue of C19,037 crore (US$ Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Awards Kerala is an all-season, multi-dimensional 2011 for its outstanding achievements. In the 3.50 billion) and marking an increase of 9.74% boutique destination offering a multitude of environment category, it received the Grand over the previous year. Foreign exchange unique experiences and attractions. Its 38,863 award for the State's Responsible Tourism earnings, too, kept pace, rising by an equal square kilometres of lush green, mist-laden hills, programmes at Kumarakom. Kerala's new percentage to scale C4221.99 crores (US$ enchanting backwaters, serene beaches and 767.60 million). The tourism industry in the state tourism commercial Your Moment is Waiting also bagged three PATA Gold awards in addition historical monuments cast a magic web. They generated more than one million jobs. lure tourists into staying longer and to explore to the Best Tourism Film 2011 award at the ITB There is no secret to this success save the the next mystical destination, that seems just Berlin Das Golden Stadttor, a Bronze and three fact that Kerala packages its destinations better finalist certificates at the New York Festival 2011 around the corner from the last. Apart from than anyone else and markets it perfectly. It these inherent advantages, Kerala has a dynamic and a Bronze at the Prague International thinks out-of-the-box; which explains why its tourism-trade community and a pro-active Advertising Festival in the same year. The print 600 kilometre coastline is a bigger draw than government committed to tourism campaign Your Moment is Waiting won a Silver the coastlines of several other destinations. Its development. The government realises that lagoons, backwaters, wildlife, cuisine, weather, art at the Golden Gate Awards at ITB Berlin 2012 tourists are forever seeking new products, new and a Bronze at the Prague International forms and fine, educated people form an irresistible package, drawing tourists from across Advertising Festival 2012. Kerala also bagged the packages and new surprises. To augment its offerings, the department has developed new Best Indian State 2011 and Best Green the world. Thanks to this, the state's traditional escapes such as monsoon, culinary and Destination 2011 at the Travel and Leisure source markets like the UK, Germany and
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The award-winning Kerala Tourism pavilion at FITUR, Madrid

Things you didnt know about

Didier Drogba and his wife at the premiere of Your Moment is Waiting

Kerala Tourism
In 1986, Kerala became the first state in India to declare tourism as an industry Kerala Tourism was the first in India to embrace the concept of Responsible Tourism, which today forms the cornerstone of all its tourism development activities Kerala Tourism has scored double hat-trick by bagging the National Tourism Award for the Best Tourism Performing State six times in a row One of the most awarded tourism destinations at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is Kerala. Between 2002 and 2011, the state won 22 PATA awards including three Grand awards The website of Kerala Tourism, one of the most informative and comprehensive travel sites, has won the national tourism award for best tourism website five times in ten years Kerala is a pioneer in marketing the destination globally. It was Indias first destination to advertise on international channels like CNN and BBC Your Moment is Waiting is Kerala Tourism's latest commercial. It was premiered globally at the prestigious Saatchi Gallery in London to an elite audience of celebrities like Didier Drogba, Gary Linekar, Bill Nighy and Lord Swaraj, amongst others

Ohuruogu, models Anna Friel, Jade Jagger, Daisy Lowe and TV presenters Lisa Snowdon, Mariella visitor-experience by delivering quality service Frostrup and Sam Branson, were some of 150 and improving customer satisfaction. As the first guests who attended the high profile event. The state in India to adopt a Responsible Tourism new film is a culmination of candid thoughts (RT) Policy, RT practices have been received and shared by travellers who have implemented in several eco-sensitive already experienced Kerala. destinations like Kovalam, Kumarakom, Thekkady In yet another innovative promotional and Wayanad. initiative, images ranging from the famous Conceived as part of RT, the Village Life backwaters to Kathakali dancers were splashed Experience (VLE) packages were developed as on the bodies of 120 cabs in the cities of conducted tour options for tourists. The package Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham. Kerala encompasses the broad objectives as laid down Tourism also grabbed the limelight at the FITUR in the social responsibility tasks of RT practicing (Feria Internacional de Turismo) in Madrid, Spain destinations. Kerala Tourism is also developing and at the World Travel Market in London by heritage circuits like Muziris and Thalasserry. The winning the award for the best stand of 2011. Muziris Heritage Circuit is an ambitious Kerala Tourism also launched the Bring Home conservation project linking monuments in the a Friend programme aimed at involving nonarea surrounding the bygone resident Keralites and Malayali 3000-year-old Muziris port. associations outside Kerala to Bekal in Malabar is promote the destination. another destination The state launched several that is being given a initiatives to showcase complete makeover. the diversity of With stress given Kerala. Dream to socio-economic Season was and environmental aimed at sustainability, Bekal converting the will be India's first traditional offplanned tourist season in the The Kerala-branded taxis in the UK destination. To take state to one of advantage of the growing international attention opportunity for the holidaymaker; Wake up to of yachts and cruise ships sailing in the waters, a Malabar was a comprehensive campaign to full-fledged marina of international standards promote the relatively unexplored North
The village life experience in Kerala

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