Kerala plans social media campaign, blogger meet in Wayanad to attract tourists – ThePrint –

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 2 (PTI) The Kerala government is set to launch a “tremendous” promotional campaign and bloggers’ meet in Wayanad ahead of the Onam season to allay tourists’ concerns that the picturesque district was no longer safe after recent landslides.

Kerala Tourism and Public Works Minister PA Mohammed Riyas told PTI in an interview over the weekend that it was “sad” that the July 30 disaster in the state’s northern district was being called the “Wayanad disaster” when in fact it affected only a part of the scenic destination.

“The best tourist spots in Wayanad, located around 50 km from Chhoralmala, have had their bookings cancelled. It is not right to call it a disaster in Wayanad,” he said.

Over 200 people lost their lives while an equal number of body parts were found under debris and in rivers after the worst-ever disaster in the state destroyed large swathes of three villages in Wayanad – Punchirimattam, Chooralmala and Mundakkai – besides some in Attamala about a month ago.

The Chooralmala disaster is not only a “setback” for Wayanad tourism but also for Kerala tourism and we are determined to dispel this message, the minister said.

Tourism is one of the biggest sources of income for this southern Indian state, which is full of beaches, hills, tea plantations and waterfalls.

Riyas said the landslide-hit places are not the “top-notch” destinations in Wayanad. They are ranked 10th or 15th…there are many destinations in Wayanad, he said.

Riyas, also son-in-law of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said his department was launching a “tremendous campaign” this month to attract more tourists to the destination, blessed with natural beauty, during the upcoming Onam festivities.

He said they have spoken to tourism industry players, resort owners and local vendors to launch a mega social media campaign where people from all walks of life and celebrities will be invited to post about their favourite destination in Kerala using the hashtag ‘my Kerala is always beautiful’ in English and Malayalam.

“This campaign will build confidence in tourism in Kerala, especially in Wayanad. It will highlight that nothing has happened in Wayanad. My family and I will go to Wayanad and stay there,” Riyas said.

As part of the campaign, the minister said, the government will also organise a meet of bloggers in Wayanad who will visit various destinations in the said district and other places and post videos praising the beauty and safety of these places.

He said Wayanad is attracting an increasing number of tourists every year, with over 17 lakh people visiting it last year, compared to over 15 lakh visitors in 2022.

The tourist inflow to Wayanad is now returning to normal (after the landslides) and we are confident that by Onam (third week of September), Wayanad will be ‘business as usual’ and by the December holidays, there will be a record number of tourists visiting the area, Riyas said. PTI NES DV DV

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