Kerala Tourism uses Shashi Tharoor as Quiz Master

Kerala Tourism ropes in Shashi Tharoor for an innovative promotional efffort

Rameshwaram. Tamil Nadu. India

Sweet water well in the middle of the ocean. Rameshwaram

Rs 300 crores Tourism Investments in Kerala

http://in.news.yahoo.com/sant-chatwal-invest-rs-300-crore-kerala-resorts-100205535--finance.html

Incredible India: Wondrous Waterfalls

Wondrous Waterfalls in Incredible India

The Indian Coffee House - A BBC news story

 A related post on the Indian Cofee House.
http://mayanmuse.blogspot.com/2008/11/indian-coffee-houses.html

Incredible India: Indian Tourism Advertising Account up for grabs

The Ministry of Tourism has called agencies for empanelment.
Click Here

Pondicherry Tourism Promotional Campaign 2004 Pitch

Since this is the season for "inspired" campaigns and "creative coincidence", a link from the archives on the Pondicherry Tourism campaign.
http://mayanmuse.blogspot.com/2009/10/plagiarism-imitation-or-mere.html

Kerala Travel Mart 2010

 Every two years the Kerala Travel Mart is held in the State to showcase the tourism products and players to the travel trade. This year it is being held at Bolghatty Palace in Cochin. It is a two day event and is scheduled on the 25th and the 26th of September 2010.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article795520.ece

Related links on Kerala:
http://corpgypsy.blogspot.com/2010/09/kerala-tourism-your-moment-is-waiting.html

http://vinodnatesansportfolio.blogspot.com/2009/10/mayan-consultants-international-2009.html

Festivals of India: HOLI

For those who believe Indians are conservative, and boring in terms of outlook Holi provides a pleasant surprise. Even as the sobriety of the Lent is in progress in the Western World after the carnival celebrations to do with the Mardi Gras, the Indian sub-continent plays catch up by celebrating the arrival of spring with its own carnival and possibly, the start of activities to prepare the summer crop. Holi is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of March (Phalgun).

Legend has it that Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, was saved from a burning fire into which his father, the demon King Hira,nyakashyap had cast him with the help of Holika. Holika was burnt to ashes and to commemorate the victory of good over evil, people light a bonfire, called “Holika Dahan” on the eve of the Holi .

Another legend says that there was once an ogress Dhundhi, who used to trouble children in the kingdom of Prithu. She was chased away by children on the day of Holi. Yet others say, that Lord Krishna, when an infant, killed an ogress who tried to poison him while suckling him, on this day.

Elsewhere, it is believed that the God of Love, Kamadeva, was restored to life this day, at his consort, the Goddess of Sex, Ratidevi’s request, by Lord Shiva, after being burnt to death with his third eye. It is therefore seen as an occasion for romance and merry making. It is therefore common for lovers to frolic with their beloved in this festival by splashing colours and dancing to “hori” songs.

Another legend has it that a mischievous Lord Krishna applied colour on his beloved Radha, so that her fair complexion would not contrast with his dark skin. This has led to the practice of throwing coloured powders (gulal, abeer) and water on each other. Idols of Radha and Krishna are placed on a decorated palanquin and taken out in a procession in Bengal and is called Dol Yatra/ Dol Purnima. At Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Nandgaon, Holi is celebrated with vigour as these are places associated with Radha and Krishna. At Barsana, “Lathimaar Holi” involves men teasing women by singing mischievous songs. Women in turn, beat them with sticks in mock fashion, while men use shields to protect themselves. Dulandi Holi is observed in Haryana, where women use sticks on their younger brother in laws (devars) in mock fashion, for all the mischief they do.

Holi delicacies include gujia, malpuas, mathri, puran poli, among others. Thandai is a drink which is mixed with “bhang”(cannabis) and is drunk during the revelries.

Sikhs, display their physical strength and military prowess as they gather at Anandpur Sahib a day after Holi to celebrate Hola Mohalla. The tradition was started by the tenth and last guru of Sikh religion, Guru Gobind Singhji

Manipuris celebrate the festival for six continuous days. The highlight of the festival here is a dance, called 'Thabal Chongba'.

For more details, go to
http://www.holifestival.org/

TEMPLE TRAIL: ATTUKAL BHAGAVATHY TEMPLE

The coastal state of India has always been an exception to the Indian rule and a mix of contradictions. The state which elected the first Communist State in the country, has never reelected a party in the elections and has alternated between a Congress and a Left Ministry for decades now. It also has a well entrenched RSS network and an equally strong Muslim League. The interests of the Church, always finds an echo in the Kerala Congress with its roots firmly entrenched in the Central parts of the State. The State has however never faced religious riots of the kind seen in other parts of the country in the last few decades. A testimony to the unique social fabric of this place.

It enjoys the highest literacy rates and has probably the best quality of life index. It is also the most backward in terms of industrial development and survives on inward remittances of the millions who labor for relatively low wages in the Middle East and a few others who do slightly better in the United States and UK, thanks to the IT industry.


Female infanticide is almost unheard of here and adoption of the girl child is on par with that of the male. Female literacy is on par, if not better than that of the male. Enrolment of female students in professional courses is again reflecting a similar trend Employment figures also do not show any discrimination or skew. It is therefore not surprising that the Guiness Book of Records should list the ATTUKAL PONGALA in Trivandrum as one of the largest congregation of women for a festival or religious ritual. The Guiness Book of Record mentions a figure of 1.5 million devotees in 1997 and the figure is likely to be double the same according to volunteers. The serpentine queues that curve out from the temple premises now reach the Statue junction towards the northern side which is nearly 8 kilometres away!!


The Pongala festival held annually at the Attukal Devi Temple in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala is a ritual where women alone are allowed entry and permitted to participate. It is therefore called the “Streekalude Sabarimala” which means that it is the “Sabarimala for women”. For those who are not familiar, the Sabarimala Temple admits only men and women who are past 60 years of age and is a popular religious destination for millions of devotees.

At the Attukal Pongala it is interesting to see men do a role reversal and play a supportive role by providing help and support to their spouses, siblings and daughters by arranging transport and providing amenities on the outskirts of the temple premises. It is not an uncommon sight to see women being escorted back by the men and children after the strenuous ritual and there seem to be small groups involved, with a spirit of fraternity and a spirit of cooperation clearly discernible. In fact most houses near the temple keep pots of "sambaram" ( buttermilk) near the doorstep for devotees who may be thirsty and provide them access to the sanitation facilities in the house should it be requested by them even though they may be strangers from out of town. A spirit of common cause seems to bind everyone together for a day, it would seem. This festival cuts across caste barriers which is otherwise a bane of the Kerala Society. As the fame surrounding this event grows,so does the strength and intensity of belief it would seem. Women brave the scorching  summer of the "kumbha masam" (February-March) and wait patiently in the hot afternoon sun to light the pyre for the ponkala and the heat from the million fire stove makes the mercury climb a few inches. But the women seem undaunted by all this and complete the chore with devotion and with the firm belief that their prayers will be answered. These women are not illiterates steeped in superstitious rituals but include IPS officers, beauty queens who appear on international fora, rich businesswomen and film stars with millions in their bank accounts.

For those who rattle imaginary sabers and wage idiotic war with the theme of women are better than men and are discriminated and launch seminars and conferences, this little event in a corner of the world is a quiet reminder of how nature intended life to be, which is to do what comes naturally in a spirit of cooperation and devotion.



For details of this event and the temple, go to



http://www.attukal.org/pongala.htm


http://www.attukal.org/


http://www.onamfestival.org/attukal-pongala-festival.html

Heritage Tourism: India

http://www.afaqs.com/perl/media/story.html?sid=26286

OUTBOUND TRAVEL FROM INDIA- TTFOTM 2010 MUMBAI

The TTFOTM, an acronym for the Travel and Tourism Fair –Outbound Travel Mart is in its 20th edition and growing. Conducted by Fairfest Media Ltd , it has shows in Chennai and Bangalore in January every year, in Mumbai and Delhi in early February, in Hyderabad and Calcutta in July , and finally in Ahmedabad and Surat every August.
Given the increasing trend in outbound traffic and the stability and resilience of the Indian economy, the participation in these fairs, is not surprisingly, enthusiastic. At the Mumbai event, the general visitors who paid up a modest Rs 20/- for entrance, were at least 3000 daily, according to estimates. The trade visitors arriving to strike deals with the various tourism boards were a separate lot.  What is also worth mentioning is that an increasing share the outbound trade market is now originating from the mini metros and the small towns, which were hitherto not considered viable by many tour operators according to some of the travel professionals present.
The other trend is the increasing popularity of home stays. This seems to have picked up dramatically in Kerala. With a yawing gap between the five star luxury hotels and the cheap and dubious economy hotels that cater to back packers, there is an opportunity for home stays that provide affordable lodging and provide an authentic feel of the place and its culture.
Web portals like make my trip and time share players like Mahindra Resorts seem to be increasingly entering the travel arena and for good reason, it would seem.
Ends…

 

Japanese National Tourism Organization

  

From Russia with love :)

Hongkong, here we come:)

Naturally Nepal!

Kenya they claim  is magical, but that is if you like wildlife and safari's! 

Maldives, the sunny side of life:)

The China National Tourism Administration, as a destination it is expected to land at the top of the table pretty soon. Inflow of tourists is way ahead of India's.

Jamaica , probably the cricket connection?

Macau was the venue of the film event IIFA( Indian International Film Academy) and the casino there helps :) It is also touted to be the Venice of the East !

The Egyptian Tourism stall, did not find any belly dancers in action though :), however lots of mummies and daddies showing interest here :)

Pattaya and Phuket, Thailand is a popular destination!

Canada, Turkey and Tanzania were also in attendance though the pictures are uploaded.

Himachal had a presence.

Gujarat seems to opening its doors.

Terrorism notwithstanding, J&K is inviting visitors.

Incredible India which was coined by Prathap Suthan still has currency,

the stall was to promote the North Eastern states.

Maharashtra Tourism had its stall, they are happy to welcome "tourists"!

 

Rajasthan Tourism, not just for high celebrity weddings and VIP's !!

Learning from the Kerala model?

Nainital, Mussorie, Jim Corbett park, lots of hill stations and colonial heritage on display!

Pink chaddis notwithstanding, its a green flag for visitors. Heritage at Hampi, Mysore, Brindavan gardens are big draws as is Bangalore which was once the air-conditioned city, though now its the software and BPO hub.

Kerala seems to be moving to homestays and they already have a Union of owners:)

  

The boat tragedy was a set back and the land title problems in Munnar are a controversial issue,

however, the promotional efforts are going on with vigour.  The recent decision of the Centre to cut back project allocation may have served as a wake up call.

The Aitken Spence group was present, as did the Mahindra Holidays people, make my trip and arzoo were the digital players with stalls, Raja Rani  had a huge area, so did Guideline and the Aqua Suna group. At Rs 13,500 per sqmt, it must have been a value for money proposition.

Ends...

INDIAN TOURISM UPDATES: JAN 2010

 CODE OF CONDUCT FOR TOURISM
http://www.4to40.com/indian_travel_places/indian_travel_news_index.asp?id=550

 INDIAN HOTEL INDUSTRY: INCREASE IN ROOM INVENTORY
http://www.4to40.com/indian_travel_places/indian_travel_news_index.asp?id=512

KERALA TOURISM PROJECT ALLOCATION BUDGETS NIXED BY CENTRE
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/In-a-first-tourism-minister-cuts-funds-to-Kerala/articleshow/5536879.cms

FIGHTING SWINE FLU AUG 2009: ARCHIVES
http://www.4to40.com/indian_travel_places/indian_travel_news_index.asp?id=381&travel_news=Himanshi_Dhawan

OUTOUTBOUND TOURISM FROM INDIA.-CONSUMER ADVERTISEMENTS 2010

 

 200% cash back contest. Cox n Kings

 

 Cox n Kings, Mumbai Mirror cover page

                                        Cox n Kings Dubai Shopping Festival

 

Emirates Dubai Shopping Festival

Kuoni advertising Australia

SOTC promoting Europe. (Kuoni owned)

Make my trip .com for USA

RAJ Travels Challenge?

 

Raj Travels follow up

Kesari Travels for Thailand

Strawberi provides for individual travels.

SK Tours for Dubai and Far East

Kathmandu from Shreshta Holidays

Mahindra Club Holidays for Munnar

This is time share advertising

Club 7 with their Classic Tours 

to Europe and USA 

Small operators in classifieds

Cruises from Samlink 

  

Travelocity advertising online booking 

 

Star Tours for Europe USA and Dubai

INBOUND TOURISM INDIA - SATTE ITB 2010

SATTE ITB 2010

Anyone who is anyone in the travel industry, will know the importance of the ITB, that is held every year in Berlin. This January, the  ITB partnered SATTE, a travel event that has a 17 year history in India.  With thisassociation, SATTE, which was started as a meeting ground for the inbound segment, is now set to become a namefor buying and selling Indian tourism.

This year, the 6000 square metres of exhibition area in Pragati Maidan Delhi, found a 15% increase in the number of participants. There were 282 hosted buyers from 31 countries, 230 corporate buyers from 16 countries, and 1850 trade visitors .Total visitor count should exceed 9000, along with a seller count of 650 booths comprising over 800 exhibitors, both big and small.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja. The presence of Dr Martin Buck, the Director of the ITB and Ms Jean Rika Francois, who looks after the South Asian Markets for the ITB, was proof of the importance that ITB attached to the event.

Among the international participants, Abu Dhabi and Oman made their debut in an Indian travel mart for the first time, underlining the interest in the outbound trade from India.

The fact that the Asian Games is round the corner, could also explain the heightened interest in this event.  Industry observers would note that with the H1N1 pandemic and the meltdown, the inflow of international tourists had declined by 3.3% to 5.11 million in 2009. However, in December 2009, about 646,000 tourists visited India, compared to 534,000 in the corresponding month in 2008. and 597,000 for the same month in 2007, signaling that
the worst was over.

The Government also announced a few initiatives that would have improved sentiment within the trade. The“Visa on Arrival” scheme introduced recently for Finland, Japan, Luxemburg, New Zealand and Singapore would have been welcomed news as also the assurance by the Tourism Secretary that a Tourist Security Organization  would be set up comprising of ex-servicemen in the light of harassment of tourists that were reported from many centres.

With the Times Fair in Mumbai and the SATTE ITB  in Delhi the tourism industry is seeing a brisk start to the year 2010.

Ends

Vinod Natesan

OUTBOUND TOURISM FROM INDIA.-THE TIMES TRAVEL FAIR, 2010

TIMES TRAVEL FAIR 2010 AT MUMBAI

Jan 31st 2010

The healthy prospects of the outbound tourism market was very much in display at the Bandra Kurla grounds this week end. The Times Travel Fair which opened on the 29th of January and wound up on the 31st of January,garnered a healthy response from the public. Most of the big players from the travel industry were in attendance,with a slew of offers and incentives.

The WTO report on the Indian outbound market, the Nielsen Report and the Strategic Intelligence Centre at PATA,all agree that India is one of the fastest-growing outbound travel markets in the world. International tourism departures from India have grown from 3.7 million in 1997 to 9.8 million in 2007 and international tourism expenditures have increased from US$ 1.3 billion in 1997 to US$ 8.2 billion in 2008. On an average, Indians spend nearly US$ 1,789 per person per leisure trip. Not all of this is on travel.Shopping for branded goods accounts for a significant share of wallet and explains why Dubai, Thailand and Singapore are popular destinations.

Even as the world economy went through an upheaval, the Indian economy remained relatively stable and is now showing a healthy 7% growth in GDP.India’s increasingly affluent middle class already numbers 300 million and is growing rapidly. At the same time,its per capita income is increasing by around 5% a year, and its per capita expenditure is rising twice as fast.

There are nearly 23 million passport holders according to estimates and this number will grow significantly since demographics indicates that there is a strong skew towards the youth. Demand for outbound will also be driven by the need to travel abroad for education and for VFR. (visiting friends and relatives).

Travel agents like Thomas Cook , Kuoni , Raj Travels, Akbar Travels, Sachin Travels, Mercury Travels, web sites like makemytrip.com, aviation players like Kingfisher Airlines, tourism boards from Malaysia , Singapore, Dubai and Maldives, were all present with large pavilions at the Times Fair to participate and make the best of this opportunity. A week before the fair, there were full page advertisements in dailies, offering schemes and packages for the season, that hits the peak during the Indian summer holidays. The top management of the bigger players like Kuoni and sister concern, SOTC, as well as it main competitor Thomas Cook Holidays, were present to ensure that leads generated were converted. Many whom the writer spoke to, seemed to be happy with the business generated.

The FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa this year seems to have generated lukewarm interest, though the travel industry avers that there is interest from the corporate segment and also from the retail trade in Kerala, Bengal and Goa where the ‘beautiful game’ is popular.

Ends
Vinod Natesan

 

Kuoni 

Thomas Cook Holidays

KUONI SOTC the official agency for the FIFA Cup.

  

SOTC's crowded pavillion

Raj Travels, relatively less popular?

Mahindra Club Holidays, going strong, likely to start a travel agency?

Sachin Travels, small but strong?

Aswini Kakker's Mercury Travels, small and active, like the planet :)

Strawberi Holidays from Kesari Tours, for the FIT!