Kerala Tourism’s marketing campaign bags PATA Gold Award
Trivandrum / August 25, 2023
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 25: In a rousing endorsement of its innovative initiative to attract visitors to the state, Kerala Tourism has won the 2023 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award in the category of ‘Marketing Campaign (State & city - Global)’.
Conceptualized for an audience transitioning to normalcy, post-COVID, the state’s award-winning campaign ‘Make up for lost time, pack up for Kerala’ targeted the domestic tourists, and it made a splash in all major media platforms, including print, radio, OOH, digital videos and banners (web portals), and social media channels.
Set up in 1984, the PATA Grand and Gold Awards recognise the finest contributions from the travel industry in the Asia- Pacific region with the winning projects consistently creating benchmarks for excellence and creativity. The prestigious award will be presented at the International Exhibition Convention Centre (IECC), Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, on October 5 during the PATA Travel Mart 2023 which runs from October 4 to 6.
Tourism Minister Shri P.A. Mohamed Riyas said the award is a sterling recognition of Kerala Tourism’s aggressive promotional campaign to woo back tourists who were cooped up inside their homes for a long period following the pandemic outbreak.
“Our campaign idea, ‘Make up for lost time, pack up for Kerala’, was simple and direct, and yet quite innovative, eloquently conveying the sentiments of people during the transition to normalcy. There was regret about the immediate past and a determination to live life to the fullest - and to do so immediately,” the minister said. “The line also exhorted everyone to regain their fun and freedom in one of India’s best-known destinations,” Shri Riyas added.
The campaign signalled a major shift by targeting the young crowd, exhorting them to savour the beauty of Kerala in a natural setting, be it adventure or leisure. This was evident in a range of captivating videos: a young couple indulging in adventure activities, a girl draped in a Kerala sari careening through a village road on a skateboard, a group of young backpackers enjoying tea at a roadside stall, a family enjoying the serenity of the hills.
Tourism Secretary Shri K Biju said the campaign played a key role in ensuring a massive uptick in the number of domestic tourists, and there are clear indications that the ongoing year would create a new record in the footfalls of visitors from within the country.
Tourism Director Shri P B Nooh said it is significant this international honour has been bestowed on Kerala Tourism at a time when the state has clocked a record in domestic tourist arrivals and there is a steady increase in arrival of holiday-makers from all key markets around the world.
