THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas today launched the revamped websites of all the 14 District Tourism Promotion Councils (DTPCs) in Kerala, enabling the visitors to quickly access all information about tourism attractions across the state and plan their trip effortlessly.
Launching the new DTPC website packed with information and images at a function here, Riyas said with the advent of social media it is vital to draw on cutting-edge technologies while developing and updating online platforms providing tourism information.
The updated DTPC websites are stacked with a whole lot of information on diverse attractions awaiting the visitors across Kerala. These websites are designed in a highly attractive manner, enabling tourists to effortlessly navigate through them, for choosing the places they want to visit and make use of facilities available in each location, the Minister said.
“In an age when the fast-paced growth of IT has a great influence on people, identifying its possibilities is vital to the growth of Kerala’s Tourism sector. So, updating and upgrading technological platforms like websites using most modern technology is vital for promotion of tourism in the state”, Riyas said.
It is after 20 years that Kerala Tourism has revamped its websites showcasing the distinct features of each of the 14 districts before the world. This also reflects the efforts of the State Tourism Department to adapt itself to the global transformations, the Minister said.
Pointing out the significant role played by DTPCs in identifying, developing and maintaining, destinations, he said DTPCs form an important branch of the Tourism Department.
The revamped websites will enable each district’s tourism activities to be coordinated in a better way. Apart from providing details regarding each district’s tourist locales, the website also makes navigation easier for the tourists, he said.
Riyas also urged the Secretaries of 14 DTPCs to add more details on websites regarding events and places of cultural and historical significance, besides highlighting the Keralites’ hospitality and communal harmony to attract more visitors. Also, DTPCs should focus on developing innovative marketing strategies.
Drawing inspiration from global models including the UK, the DTPCs should showcase new trends to attract tourists, Riyas said.
Through the revamped websites the people should be given a picture of the trekking and hiking destinations of each district. For this, a special google map that facilitates information regarding trekking and hiking spots can be provided.
Also, to attract more foreign tourists, who often plan their trips months ahead, each website should feature the climatic conditions of the respective district in a calendar format, he said.
Stressing the role of DTPCs in meeting goals of Kerala Tourism’s destination challenge initiative, he said they should focus on identifying new tourist centres and developing them in a sustainable manner.
The Minister also announced that the public will soon be able to avail the accommodation facilities offered by PWD rest houses through the revamped websites.
The revamp of the Kerala Tourism’s website using the latest technology, work on which is already underway, will be completed within two months.
Kerala Tourism Director P B Nooh, in his welcome address, noted that the revamping of websites using the most modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made them more accessible and appealing to travellers from around the world.
Making them more attractive, each district’s unique features and attractions are displayed with visually appealing video banners, replacing the photo banners.
By accessing the home pages of the DTPC websites, visitors can traverse through details like important tourist centres, the traveller’s experience visiting these places, important tourism programmes, and events conducted in each district. The website featuring AI provides visitors to Kerala an opportunity to choose suitable travel packages.
With the ‘Find on the Map’ facility which links tourism centres in each district with google maps, navigation is made easier for the tourists. And the hyperlink system on the website facilitates online services required for travellers. Through this, tourists can avail the weather details of each tourist centre. The DTPC websites have also been linked with Kerala Tourism’s main website.
Also, the services provided by DTPCs like booking and payment can be integrated through these websites in the future. As these websites have a mobile responsive design, the layout and content of the website will adapt to the device on which it is accessed.
Each website, integrated with social media, currently has 30 pages and can be further developed adding more tourist centres and other information.
Kerala Tourism Deputy Director Prem Bhas proposed a vote of thanks.
South Kerala Hoteliers Forum Vice President M R Narayanan, and DTPC Secretary Satheesh Miranda (Pathanamthitta) also spoke on the occasion.
DTPC Secretaries Sharon Valiyaveettil (Thiruvananthapuram), Vijayaraj (Kollam), Anoop (Alappuzha), Robin Koshy (Kottayam), Jitheesh Jose (Idukki), Shyam (Ernakulam), Joby George (Thrissur), Vipin Chandran (Malappuram), Gilbert Jose (Palakkad), Ajesh (Wayanad), Jitheesh Kumar (Kannur), Lijo Joseph (Kasaragod) were also present.
