ETW Staff – New Delhi
Kerala Tourism won three out of the six National Tourism awards for 2014-15 in the marketing category for states, while it received two more awards, including the one for its Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative in the hilly district of Wayanad that has transformed its economy through intensive participation of the local people.
Hoteliers, tour operators and an Ayurveda Centre swelled the kitty of awards for God’s Own Country to 12 by winning seven more, including the Best Hotel in Five Star category and the Best Heritage hotel.
The awards were presented by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in the presence of Union Tourism Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma in New Delhi. The awards on behalf of Kerala Tourism were received by principal secretary Dr Venu V and director U V Jose.
Sargaalaya Arts and Crafts Village at Iringal, a small but thriving village in Kozhikode, fetched the award in the Rural Tourism project category. “The awards are a heartening and robust reaffirmation of our Responsible Tourism initiative, which has emerged as a trailblazing tourism product for the entire country. We also received three national awards for our brilliant marketing initiatives which are designed to woo travellers from both inside the country and abroad,” said Kerala tourism minister, A C Moideen. Dr Venu V noted, “It is a welcome recognition of our pioneering measures, especially our cutting edge marketing techniques and leveraging of technology, to position Kerala as a tourist-friendly destination.”
Kerala and the Spice Routes, a coffee-table book, won in the category of Excellence in Publishing in English language. ‘The Great Backwaters’, a brochure in German language, was adjudged for the award in foreign language segment. The third award for Kerala Tourism in ‘Tourism Promotion and Publishing’ category came for its most innovative use of information technology for the website. Kerala Tourism has 12.8 lakh Facebook followers, the largest figure for any tourism board in India.
Private players bagged seven awards: Turtle on the Beach, Kovalam, was adjudged the best hotel in the Five Star category; Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom, bagged the award for Best Heritage Hotel in Classic Category; Coconut Creek Farm and Homestay, Kumarakom, was given the award for ‘Best Incredible India Bed & Breakfast Establishment’ approved by State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations’ and Somatheeram Research Institute & Ayurveda Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, was declared the Best Wellness Centre.
Kochi – based Lotus Destinations was awarded Best Tour Operator, Kalypso Adventures received the award for Best Inbound Tour Operator/ Travel Agent and Dravidian Trails Holidays got a third prize in the category of Best Inbound Tour Operator/ Travel Agent.