Kerala Tourism kick starts 2019 on an ambitious note

The country’s tourism trendsetter embraces the New Year with a potpourri of art and dance forms.

Chandigarh, January 24, 2019: With the inauguration of the Kannur International airport, Kerala is the only state in India to have four international airports. Flanked by the Arabian Sea and shielded by the Western Ghats, Kannur is now gearing up to become a favourite in tourist itineraries. Home to the piquant Moplah cuisine, land of forts and folklores, the new airport hopes to establish Malabar, which shares boundaries with Coorg, Coimbatore and Mysore, as the new tourism gateway to South India.

“With the inauguration of the Kannur International airport the world can now wake up to the wonders of Malabar. Kerala Tourism will leverage upon established destinations in North Kerala like Bekal and Wayanad, whilst giving thrust to lesser known micro destinations in Kannur and Kasaragode districts, like “Valiyaparamba Backwaters, Kuppam & Ranipuram,” said Shri. Kadakampally Surendran, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Kerala.

Art from around the world

With the onset of the cultural fiestas like the Nishagandhi Dance Festival and the popular Kochi Muziris Biennale, Kerala is all set to welcome art aficionados.

The fifth edition of the immensely popular Kochi Muziris Biennale is underway in Kochi. The state endorses the dreamy lanes of Fort Kochi and a pilgrimage to this biennial which has changed the landscape of contemporary Indian art today and has helped make Kochi, the art capital of India. The Kochi Muziris Biennale will run till 29th March, 2019.

“Kerala has always promised to be an enriching experience for travellers, and art has been the crux of our tourism initiatives. It is our mission to peg Kerala as a soul stirring travel experience. We begin this year gracefully with a weeklong potpourri of dance forms at the Nishagandhi Dance Festival, which would be held in the capital city, and have many other festivals planned for the rest of the year including the Nishagandhi Monsoon Festival" said Smt. Rani George, IAS, Secretary (Tourism), Govt. of Kerala.