Govt to come out with strategies to increase tourist footfall

Trivandrum / April 5, 2023

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr. 05: Kerala Tourism Minister Shri P A Mohamed Riyas today said the government would intensify its marketing campaign in order to further build on the tempo generated in the post-Covid phase and thereby substantially increase the footfall of both the domestic and international guests in the coming tourist season.

Addressing a meeting of the Tourism Advisory Council here, he expressed happiness over the feedback from the council members that the last tourism season had augured well for the industry by all standards.

Asserting that the government will look into any issue in the tourism sector with immediate effect, Shri Riyas said all stakeholders should think collectively as to how the competition from other states and countries could be dealt through effective and creative marketing strategies.

Kerala Tourism Principal Secretary Shri K S Srinivas and Kerala Tourism Director Shri P B Nooh also attended the meeting which had the presence of tour operators, houseboat owners, home stay owners and other stakeholders in the industry.

Shri Riyas said the next Advisory Council Meeting, scheduled to be held before June, will review the progress of the decisions taken in this meeting and put a proper system in place ahead of the coming season.

Shri Srinivas said the Department of Tourism will strengthen the marketing strategies to meet the new challenges and identify more possibilities both in domestic and international levels.   

Noting that Kerala Tourism had got best responses post the pandemic era, Shri Nooh said the department had successfully conducted road shows and various campaigns globally that yielded good result for Kerala Tourism. He appealed to the stakeholders to improve waste management system, including in houseboats, effectively.  

The participants put forward a number of suggestions that include exploring Russian and Australian markets, intervention of the Minister in excise policy, solving air connectivity issues and ensuring safety of international tourists.