KOCHI: A girl clad in a Kerala saree cruising along a village road on a skateboard, a group of youths with backpacks enjoying a cup of tea at a roadside stall, a family taking in the beauty of the hills and a young couple trying out adventure activities. These are some of the videos brought out by the Kerala Tourism Department that highlight a major shift in its campaigning style. The tag line ‘Make up for your lost time, Pack up for Kerala’ chiefly aims at attracting domestic tourists.
According to Kerala Tourism Department Director Krishna Teja, the change was brought in after thorough market research. “Recent studies show that bachelors, young couples and families have been showing interest in going out after being confined to their homes in the last two years,” he said. The decision was to market Kerala as a place that offers a wide opportunity for all to unwind in a natural setting.
“Domestic tourists are the target audience this time and Kerala has a lot to offer, be it adventure or leisure. As to why domestic? The reason is that outbound tourism is yet to pick up. In an aftermath of the pandemic, it has become tough to get visas to foreign countries. So the next option for the domestic tourists is to seek out places within the country,” he added.
Tour guide Rajesh P R said: “That’s true. People want to go out to nature and explore. Life has been tough for them for the past two years.” According to him, the aim is to attract the young crowd. “Like the techies. The advertisements are proof of this strategy. The campaign wants to highlight the avenues that the state has to offer the youngsters to expend their energy. The focus is not on five star hotels or resorts, but very local setting,” he said. Also, by presenting the beauty of monsoon in the state, the department is trying to attract young couples and families, he said.
“Kerala is already set as a destination for ayurvedic treatments and spas, besides the traditional art forms. What needed now is to bring in the young crowd. Adventure tourism will give that a big push. A lot of bachelors are arriving in the state to explore their adventurous side,” said tour guide Sajeev Paravur. The time is ripe for experiential tourism and the tour guides are coming up with packages, he said. “The timing of the initiative by the Tourism Department is right since the inflow of domestic tourists is growing right now. These months have seen the resorts in Wayanad and Idukki getting booked completely,” said Sajeev.
Unwind in natural setting
The idea is to market Kerala as a place that offers a wide opportunity for all to unwind in a natural setting
