Kerala's success in carving out a niche in the highly competitive global travel and tourism industry is by now the stuff of business school lectures.
The key element in its triumph has been sustained and consistent marketing and, more importantly, the ability to innovate its travel offerings by plugging into contemporary trends.
Last week saw another of these initiatives - the launch of `login.kerala', a new move to lure visitors to the State through information technology (IT), specifically by way of the Internet. The new digital move involves creating a cluster of user-friendly interfaces, databases and payment gateways which would transform the Kerala Tourism Web site from an information- led one to a transactionbased one.
This will not only re-establish Kerala's premier position in the tourism world but will also revitalise the online presence of the State's tourism and travel-related products, so that it can stand out in the clutter of hospitality products on the Internet.
`CRUCIAL STEP'
At the launch of login.kerala, the State Minister for Home and Tourism Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that the new digital initiative was a crucial step in marketing Kerala's tourism sector, which had been able to withstand the general recessionary trends in the sector brought on by the global economic and financial crisis.
A year ago, Kerala Tourism entered into an agreement with Google to start its own branded channel on You- Tube, the popular video sharing Web site (www.youtube.com/keralatourism. org).
And recently, Kerala Tourism organised the Travel Video Festival on YouTube. Video films depicting the lifestyle, culture, heritage or any other aspect of Kerala were invited for the Festival's award. The branded channel also features promotional movies and documentaries produced by Kerala Tourism.
All these moves are bound to attract the "alert independent traveller" who these days increasingly relies on the Internet to source information and opinions on "real, green, responsible" destinations. This is a far cry from the past days of the more common conventional `sun, sand and surf traveller'.
Today's alert independent traveller moves around for experience and has a mind of her own. For such a person, Kerala offers a smorgasbord of authentic social, cultural and political experiences, not to mention the geographical wonders of a land characterised by lush greenery, undulating hills, quiet beaches and the unique backwaters.
Even when the State is lashed by torrential rains, as now during the southwest monsoon, Kerala has much to offer the inquisitive traveller via "monsoon tourism." The natural synergy between the monsoon and ayurveda, for instance, has managed to stretch the traditional tourism season in Kerala, so much so that today the State's hoteliers can boast that there is no off-season in Kerala, just a peak season and the green season
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