Hit by pandemic, Kerala to advertise monsoon tourism to revive sector- The New Indian Categorical

Express message service

KOCHI: With the tourism sector facing an unprecedented crisis due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the state tourism department is focused on popularizing monsoon tourism this year. The department hopes that by the onset of the monsoons (June-July) this year, travel problems would end and more tourists could be lured into the state, which will revive the industry.

At a recent meeting of the tourism working group committee, it was decided to promote monsoon tourism in other parts of the country. Funding has been made available for the campaign. “The monsoons used to be considered the off-season for the sector in the state. However, the department has been promoting monsoon tourism since 2016 and as a result, the number of visitors increased during the reporting period, “an official said.

“However, with the successive floods in 2018 and 2019 and the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, monsoon tourism lost some of its luster. This year the department will be promoting the season on social media, ”the official said. The tourism department has decided to put out short promotional videos in both Hindi and English. A total of 84.96 lakh was sanctioned for the promotion of tourism during the monsoons. As part of this, three short promotional videos each in Hindi and English will be created. We hope that tourists from other states, especially from northern India, will travel to Kerala to enjoy the monsoons. ”
Official said.

The department is also committed to promoting responsible tourism across India. As part of this, a fund of 2.83 crore was sanctioned to bring out video capsules in Hindi, English and Malayalam. “Three minute long video capsules show responsible tourism activities. In the summer vacation, tourists from other states are to be attracted. Around 30 video capsules will be produced in the summer, ”said an official.

The state’s tourism sector has been hardest hit due to the pandemic. In recent months, travelers have started to visit hill stations like Munnar and Wayanad. The tourism sector makes an important contribution to the state’s GDP and is also the state’s largest provider of employment.