Kerala in bid to lure over 20,000 tourists annually

TDT | Manama  

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Staff Reporter

Armed with a new catchphrase ‘Paradise Four Hours Away’, the tourism department of the South Indian Province of Kerala is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to attract tourists from the Kingdom. 

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, on the sidelines of a Kerala Tourism promotional event held at Downtown Rotana on Wednesday night, K S Srinivas, who is the Principal Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, said the province aims to attract nearly 20,000 tourists from the Kingdom every year. 

“We were receiving nearly 10,000 tourists from the Kingdom during the pre-Covid times. The number fell drastically during the pandemic and our initial efforts will be to reach the same levels before doubling it to 20,000 or more tourists every year.” 

His statement comes in line with the launching of a new initiative called ‘Yalla Kerala’, aimed at attracting tourists from the Arab nations.  “Tourism is a wide spectrum and Kerala definitely offers scope for different varieties of tourism. However, Ayurvedic treatments and wellness programmes along with visits to backwaters and hill stations have remained the top priorities of tourists from the Gulf region.” 

The top tourism official said Kerala has a distinct place in the Indian tourism map and it is emerging as the number one state when it comes to attracting foreign as well as domestic tourists.  Speaking at the event, Mr Srinivas highlighted a bouquet of new tourism products introduced by the Kerala Tourism Department.

“Kerala has a 10 per cent share among the foreign tourists visiting India and the number stands a little above one million annually.  “The first four letters of the English alphabet ABCD, is one of the well-known abbreviations to express the State’s strength in the global tourism map.”   A stands for Ayurveda while B denotes Backwaters; C and D stand for Culture and Distance respectively.

“Ayurvedic treatments for different conditions and wellness are renowned as it is one unparalleled branch of treatment. And the expertise in the field is one of Kerala’s best offerings.  “Kerala’s rich culture and traditions, which include many world renowned art forms, have been a major attraction to tourists from across the world.”

The official said the length of the state, which is only 600 kms, often serves as a special advantage for tourists who visit the state on a few days’ schedule.  Mr Srinivas also highlighted many facets of Kerala tourism including monsoon tourism, revenge tourism, responsible tourism, adventure tourism and caravan tourism. 

Indian Ambassador Piyush Srivastava, who was the chief guest at the event, said it is a matter of great pleasure that the tourism sector is being revived during the post-pandemic recovery period. “Tourism is one of the worst affected sectors of the economy, in India and in Bahrain, during the pandemic time and we are really happy that the sector is now resurging.” 

He said air travel has been normalized across the nations and “now we have no restrictions for travel between Bahrain and India”. It is back to pre-Covid times, he noted.  Mr Srivastava said the Kingdom’s tourism sector has also been on a growth path, for it has grown by over 150 per cent.

“In India, tourism is reviving at a rapid pace, and I am sure more Bahrainis would like to explore these opportunities. Incredible India will raise your excitement levels as you explore the incredible tourist attractions across the nation.”