Kerala, located on India's southwest coast, is known as "God's Own Country" due to its varied topography and biodiversity. It has a long coastline, beaches, backwaters, hills, forests and plantations. Tourism is a major industry in Kerala's economy. The "God's Own Country" campaign, launched in the 1980s, was highly successful in promoting Kerala's natural beauty and cultural attractions internationally. It established Kerala as a global tourism brand. However, the campaign now faces challenges of maintaining its effectiveness against rising competition from other Indian states also promoting tourism aggressively. Kerala will need continued innovative strategies to sustain its leadership in tourism.

1. Kerala
God’s Own Country
Abby Varghese
Department of Geography, Tourism & Travel Management
Madras Christian College

2. Kerala: God’s Own Country
Kerala often referred to as Keralam, is a state in the south-west region of India on the
Malabar coast. Spread over 38,863km² it is bordered by Karnataka to the north &
north east, Tamil Nadu to the east & south, and Arabian sea to the west.
13th largest state by population
14 districts with the state capital being Thiruvananthapuram.
Language Malayalam

3. History
 Prominent spice exporter from 3000BC to 3rd century.
 Chera Dynasty a powerful kingdom rules Kerala
 Portuguese traders paved way to European colonization
 After Independence Travancore & Cochin kingdoms joined Republic of
India
 In 1956 state of Kerala was formed by merging the Malabar District,
Travancore-Cochin, and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara

4. Present
 Lowest positive population growth rate in India (3.44%) and has a Density
of 860 people per km²
 State has the highest Human Development Index (HDI) 0.790
 Highest literacy rate of 93.91%
 Highest life expectancy (almost 77yrs) and highest sex ratio (1084 women
per 1000 men)
 Kerala also recorded the lowest homicide rate among Indian states
 According to Transparency International, Kerala ranked as the least corrupt
state in the country.

5. Present
 Kerala witnessed significant emigration of its people, especially to the gulf
states during the Gulf Boom of 1970s and 1980s, and its economy
depends significantly on remittances from a large Malayali expatriate
community.
 More than half of the population practices Hinduism followed by Islam
and Christianity.
 Pepper, rubber, agriculture, coconut, tea, coffee, cashew and spices are the
important produce
 Around 1.1 million people are dependent on the fishery industry which
contributes 3% of the states income.

6. International Mentions
 National Geographic's Traveller magazine names Kerala as one of the "ten
paradises of the world" and "50 must see destinations of a lifetime".
 Travel and Leisure names Kerala as "One of the 100 great trips for the 21st
century".
 In 2012, it overtook Taj Mahal to be the number one travel destination in
Google's search trends for India.
 The city of Kochi ranks first in the total number of international and
domestic tourists in Kerala.

7. Kerala as a Tourism destination
 Kerala is an important destination, with backwaters, beaches, ecotourism,
Ayurvedic tourism and tropical greenery among its major attractions
 There are 3 existing & 2 proposed international airports.
 The states 145,704kms of road constitute 4.2% of all Indian roadways
 The state has the highest media exposure in India with newspapers
publishing in 9 different language mainly in English & Malayalam
 Named as one of the Ten Paradises of the world by National Geographic
Traveler
 Growing at the rate of 13.31%, the tourism industry is a major contributor
to the states economy.
 The revenue from tourism increased five-fold between 2001 and 2011 and
crossed the 190 billion mark in 2011.

8. Kerala as a Tourism destination
 Until the early 1980’s, Kerala was a relatively unknown destination, with
most tourism circuits concentrated around the northern India
 Kerala Tourism Development Corporation laid the foundation for the
growth of the tourism industry.
 The Tag line Kerala – Gods own country was adopted in its tourism
promotions & became a global superbrand.
 Kerala is regarded as one of the destinations with highest brand recall.
 In 2006, Kerala attracted 8.5 million tourist arrivals, an increase of 23.68%
over the previous year, making the state one of the fastest-growing
destinations in the world. In 2011, tourist inflow to Kerala crossed the
10-million mark.

9. Popular attractions
 Well known for its beaches, backwaters in Alappuzha and Kollam,
mountain ranges & wildlife sanctuaries.
 Beaches at Kovalam, Kappad, Cherai and Varkala
 Illuminated Beach Bekal in Kasargod
 Muziris Heritage Project
 Backwater tourism & Lake resorts around Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam
 Hill stations and resorts at Munnar, Wayanad, Nelliampathi, Vagamon and
Ponmudi
 National Parks & Wildlife sanctuaries at Periyar & Eravikulam National Park
 Heritage Sites such as Padmanabhapuram Palace, Hill Palace and
Mattancherry Palace, Jews Street, Fort Kochi etc.
 The Grand Kerala Shopping Festival
 Thrissur cultural capital of the state is famous for Thrissur Pooram

10. God’s Own Country Campaign
 Coined by Walter Mendez
 The campaign started after conducting intensive studies about the state & later
understood the potentiality for Tourism in the state.
 Extensive Marketing strategies were introduced under the leadership of Amitabh
Kant

11. Amitabh Kant: The brain behind God’s Own
Country & Incredible !ndia Campaigns
• Member of Indian Administrative Service (Kerala Cadre : 1980 Batch)
• Presently posted as Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP),
Government of India
• Has extensive experience in infrastructure creation, International Marketing, Travel &
Tourism and Hospitality industry. He has conceptualized and executed the positioning
and branding of Kerala as “God’s Own Country” and later the “Incredible !ndia”
campaign. Both these campaigns has won several International awards and embraced a
host of activities – Infrastructure development, product enhancement, changes in
organizational culture and promotional partnerships based on intensive market
research.
• Managing Director of Fisheries Federation (MATSYAFED), Government of Kerala later the
Managing Director, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC)

12. Amitabh Kant: The brain behind God’s Own
Country & Incredible !ndia Campaigns
• In the year 1997, E. K. Nayanar the then CM of Kerala posted him as
Secretary Tourism, Government of Kerala.
• With the success in the Kerala tourism Industry the government of India
appointed him as the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of
India. He also was appointed additional duty of CEO & MD of the Delhi
Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation.
• Kant’s idea of using Tourism as an “antidote to terrorism”

13. Awards for the God’s Own Country
Campaigns
International Awards
 ITB- Berlin’s Golden City Gate Gold Award (2014)
 UNWTO Ulysses Award (2014)
 Silver Prize at the Golden Gate Award of the Internationale Tourismus –
Borse Berlin
 One among three finalists at the World Travel & Tourism Councils
“Tourism for Tomorrow”
Pacific Asia Travel Association Awards
Government of India Awards
 Best Performing State (1999, 2000 & 2001) (three years in succession),
Government of India.

14. Now coming to Analysis…

15. Strength
 Potential Medical Tourism
 Eco-Tourism
 Diverse geographical features
 Long coastline
 Rich culture
 Global Super Brand
 High literacy & other demographic factors
 Efficient Tourism Department & extensive planning
 Effective Security measures which include Police, CCTV etc.
 The Grand Kerala Shopping Festival
 Digital Marketing

16. Weakness
 Lack of Night life due to reduced public transportation facilities even in
major cities like Kochi & Thiruvananthapuram
 Reduced Home Stay’s when comparing with the high demand
 Lack of promotion of Cultural Significance of several destinations
 Lack of awareness regarding tourism destinations in north Kerala among
International Tourists.
 Distance of destinations in North Kerala from current tourism hubs around
Kochi and Trivandrum
 Limited connectivity between Kozhikode airport and airports in Europe
and the US. Most of the International flight connections operate to
airports in the Arabian Peninsula.

17. Opportunities
 Commercialization of certain Arts & Dances
 Active community involvement in tourism
 Recognition of new Tourism destinations
 Increased support for shooting movies & documentaries
 Potential as a Culinary tourism center
 Commercialization of “Thattukada” & other local cuisine
 Potential for Plantation Tourism
 The campaign can make use of the social media space for better visibility
 Development of the Sarovaram Bio-Park (Kottoli urban wetlands) of
around 200 acres, located near the Kozhikode city centre with facilities
including canal walkway, boatway bird sanctuary, mangrove bio-reserve
etc.

18. Threat
 Global warming & the rising sea level
 Over commercializing of destinations
 Increasing dependency of Food products on neighboring states
 Increasing Brain Drain trend
 The campaign faces the threat of its shelf life expiring
 Other states are coming up with strong campaigns with strong brand
ambassadors.
Competitors include
1.Maharashtra Tourism Campaign
2.Madhya Pradesh Tourism Campaign
3.Gujarat Tourism Campaign
 Availability of adequate tourism manpower is a critical concern expressed
by private players operating away from main urban areas (like Bekal)

19. Conclusion
Even as Kerala Tourism has flourished within a short period of time, its
promotional strategies needs to be innovative due to the tougher
competition with the other states campaigns.