KERALA TOURISM

Monday, December 29, 2008

Thursday, October 30, 2008

AWARDS

The state has won numerous awards for its tourism initiatives. These include:
2005 - Nominated as one among the three finalists at the World Travel and Tourism Council's ‘Tourism for Tomorrow’ awards in the destination category.[23]
Das Golden Stadttor Award for Best Commercial, 2006

Pacific Asia Travel Association
Grand award for Environment, 2006
Gold award for Ecotourism, 2006
Gold award for Publication, 2006
Gold Award for E-Newsletter, 2005
Honourable Mention for Culture, 2005
Gold Award for Culture, 2004
Gold Award for Ecotourism, 2004
Gold Award for CD-ROM, 2004 and 2003
Gold Award for Marketing, 2003
Grand Award for Heritage, 2002

Pacific Asia Travel Writers Association
International Award for Leisure Tourism, 2000-2001
Government of India
Best Performing Tourism State, 2005
Best Maintained Tourist-friendly Monument, 2005
Best Publishing, 2005
Best Marketed and Promoted State, 2004.
Best Maintained Tourist-friendly Monument, 2004
Best Innovative Tourism Project, 2004
Best Promotion Literature, 2004
Best Publishing, 2004
Best Performing State for 2003, 2001, 2000 and 1999 - Award for Excellence in Tourism.
Best Practices by a State Government, 2003
Best Eco-tourism Product, 2003
Best Wildlife Sanctuary, 2003
Most Innovative Use of Information Technology, 2003 and 2001
Most Tourist-friendly International Airport, 2002
Most Eco-friendly Destination, 2002
Best Tourism Film, 2001

Outlook Traveller - TAAI
Best State that promoted Travel & Tourism, 2000-2001
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Award for Best Marketing, 2003
Award for Best Use of IT in Tourism, 2003
Galileo - Express Travel & Tourism
Award for the Best Tourism Board, 2006
Award for the Best State Tourism Board, 2003

Threats to the tourism industry

With increasing threats posed by global warming and changing weather patterns, it is feared that much of Kerala's low lying areas might be susceptible to beach erosions and coastal flooding . The differing monsoon patterns also suggest possible tropical cyclones in the future

Advertising campaigns

Kerala Tourism is noted for its innovative and market-focused ad campaigns.[17] These campaigns have won the tourism department numerous awards, including the Das Golden Stadttor Award for Best Commercial, 2006,[18] Pacific Asia Travel Association- Gold Award for Marketing, 2003 and the Government of India's Best Promotion Literature, 2004, Best Publishing, 2004 and Best Tourism Film, 2001.
Catchy slogans and innovative designs are considered a trademark of brand Kerala Tourism. Celebrity promotions are also used to attract more tourists to the state.[19][20] The Kerala tourism website is widely visited, and has been the recipient of many awards. Recently, the tourism department has also engaged in advertising via mobiles, by setting up a WAP portal, and distributing wallpapers and ringtones related to Kerala through it.

Culture

Kerala's culture is mainly Dravidian in origin, deriving from a greater Tamil-heritage region known as Tamilakam. Later, Kerala's culture was elaborated on through centuries of contact with overseas cultures.[14] Native performing arts include koodiyattom, kathakali – from katha ("story") and kali ("play") – and its offshoot Kerala natanam, koothu (akin to stand-up comedy), mohiniaattam ("dance of the enchantress"), thullal, padayani, and theyyam. Other arts are more religion- and tribal-themed. These include chavittu nadakom, oppana (originally from Malabar), which combines dance, rhythmic hand clapping, and ishal vocalisations. However, many of these artforms largely play to tourists or at youth festivals, and are not as popular among most ordinary Keralites. These people look to more contemporary art and performance styles, including those employing mimicry and parody. Additionally, a substantial Malayalam film industry effectively competes against both Bollywood and Hollywood.
Several ancient ritualised arts are Keralite in origin; these include kalaripayattu (kalari ("place", "threshing floor", or "battlefield") and payattu ("exercise" or "practice")). Among the world's oldest martial arts, oral tradition attributes kalaripayattu's emergence to Parasurama. Other ritual arts include theyyam and poorakkali.
In respect of Fine Arts, the State has an abounding tradition of both ancient and contemporary art and artists.The traditional Kerala murals are found in ancient temples, churches and palaces across the State. These paintings, mostly dating back between the 9th to 12th centuries AD, display a distinct style, and a colour code which is predominantly ochre and green.

A procession of gold-caparisoned Kerala elephants at the Thrissur Pooram
Like the rest of India, religious diversity is very prominent in Kerala. The principal religions are Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam; Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, and Buddhism have smaller followings. The states historic ties with the rest of the world has resulted in the state having many famous temples, churches, and mosques. The Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi is the oldest in the Commonwealth of Nations.
Recognising the potential of tourism in the diversity of religious faiths, related festivals and structures, the tourism department launched a Pilgrimage tourism project.[15][16]
Major pilgrim tourism attractions include Guruvayur, Sabarimala, Malayatoor, Paradesi Synagogue, St. Mary's Forane (Martha Mariam) Church Kuravilangad built in 105 A.D and Attukal Ponkala.

Ayurveda

Medical tourism, promoted by traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda and Siddha are widely popular in the state, and draws increasing numbers of tourists. A combination of many factors has led to the increase in popularity of medical tourism: high costs of healthcare in industrialised nations, ease and affordability of international travel, improving technology and standards of care.
However, rampant recent growth in this sector has made the government apprehensive. The government is now considering introduction of a grading system which would grade hospitals and clinics, thus helping tourists in selecting one for their treatments

Wildlife

MONKEY IN NELLIAMPATHI FOREST

KONNI ELEPHANT TRAINING CENTRE,PATAHANAM THITTA

Most of Kerala, whose native habitat consists of wet evergreen rainforests at lower elevations and highland deciduous and semi-evergreen forests in the east, is subject to a humid tropical climate. however, significant variations in terrain and elevation have resulted in a land whose biodiversity registers as among the world’s most significant. Most of Kerala's significantly biodiverse tracts of wilderness lie in the evergreen forests of its easternmost districts. Kerala also hosts two of the world’s Ramsar Convention-listed wetlands: Lake Sasthamkotta and the Vembanad-Kol wetlands are noted as being wetlands of international importance. There are also numerous protected conservation areas, including 1455.4 km² of the vast Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. In turn, the forests play host to such major fauna as Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), Leopard (Panthera pardus), and Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius), and Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura).[12] More remote preserves, including Silent Valley National Park in the Kundali Hills, harbor endangered species such as Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus), Indian Sloth Bear (Melursus (Ursus) ursinus ursinus), and Gaur (the so-called "Indian Bison" — Bos gaurus). More common species include Indian Porcupine (Hystrix indica), Chital (Axis axis), Sambar (Cervus unicolor), Gray Langur, Flying Squirrel, Swamp Lynx (Felis chaus kutas), Boar (Sus scrofa), a variety of catarrhine Old World monkey species, Gray Wolf (Canis lupus), Common Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus).Many reptiles, such as king cobra, viper, python, various turtles and crocodiles are to be found in Kerala — again, disproportionately in the east. Kerala's avifauna include endemics like the Sri Lanka Frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger), Oriental Bay Owl, large frugivores like the Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis) and Indian Grey Hornbill, as well as the more widespread birds such as Peafowl, Indian Cormorant, Jungle and Hill Myna, Oriental Darter, Black-hooded Oriole, Greater Racket-tailed and Black Drongoes, bulbul (Pycnonotidae), species of Kingfisher and Woodpecker, Jungle Fowl, Alexandrine Parakeet, and assorted ducks and migratory birds. Additionally, freshwater fish such as kadu (stinging catfish — Heteropneustes fossilis) and brackishwater species such as Choottachi (orange chromide — Etroplus maculatus; valued as an aquarium specimen) also are native to Kerala's lakes and waterways