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Kerala tourism joins hands with Taj to promote God's own country

C. J. Punnathara

KOCHI, June 23

SHE is Taj Kerala -- an enigmatic, but alluring face of God's own land. At least this is what the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) and Taj Kerala Hotels and Resorts Ltd aim to project in their new advertising campaign.

The Kerala Government, in its attempt to promote tourism, has tied up with Taj Kerala Hotels and Resorts Ltd. Now, it aims to attract other major players in the hospitality industry to open one of their chain's hotel in the state.

The State Government's modus operandi was simple. It first kicked off a campaign to capture the attention of what the state has to offer in terms of tourism. This was followed by mailers to the hospitality industry. The Taj Group reacted first. And, foun d positive response -- there has been a 10-15 per cent increase in bookings to the Group's properties in Kerala.

According to Mr. Raman Kaul, General Manager, Taj Residency, it is still too early to elicit a bigger response from the market, but added, ``The response so far has been quite heartening.''

And, this is just the early part of the wet season when the conventional tourist traffic dries up. The real tourist season starts after the monsoons. Mr. Kaul was confident that the ad campaign will translate into major growth in bookings by the onset of the peak tourist season, starting late September.

The latest advertising campaign dovetails into the plans and aspirations of the state's tourism department. Coming as it does close on the heels of the `God's own country' ad campaign by the state, the visibility and attractions of Kerala has been sustai ned in the minds of potential tourists and customers.

``While the current campaign might be focused on presenting the Taj Group to the national and international clientele, it definitely will go a long way in promoting the tourism potential of the state and enhance it manifold,'' Dr. V. Venu, Director, Kera la Tourism Department, said.

The charms of backwater tourism are evident in the current ad campaign. So is the green and sanguine surroundings of the Periyar Wildlife sanctuary. These highlights are not the selling points for the Taj properties alone, but has extended greater visibi lity to Kerala as a tourist destination to potential national and international clientele.

This synergy of operations was what the joint venture between KTDC and the Taj Group was expected to provide, Dr. Venu said.

Once other groups like the Oberois create a chain on their own, the visibility of Kerala will be enhanced, he said. The objective of more such joint ventures is not restricted to creating high quality infrastructure alone. Dr. Venu said such ventures are expected to link Kerala to the international tourist traffic and create a network among international travel agents. All this, he said, will enhance Kerala's visibility in the international market.

With the development of these infrastructure facilities, the international tourism industry has also begun to recognise Kerala as a major destination. At the turn of the millennium, the accolades extended to Kerala's tourist destinations and tourism indu stry were numerous.

The campaigns have worked. First, there was the recognition from the National Geographic Traveler magazine. Next, the Emirates inflight magazine placed Kerala among the top 10 destinations in the world. The Khaleej Times also rated Kerala as among the si x best tourist destinations.The Travel and Leisure magazine also recognised Kerala as among the top destinations.

These, no doubt are the result of the right agreement between the private sector and the government, Dr. Venu said. There are several things that a tourist looks out for and the destination by itself is just one of them. The comforts and facilities will have to be provided by the hospitality industry, he added.

With all this visibility and high-voltage ad campaign, Dr. Venu hoped Kerala should have a good tourist season in the coming months.