Kerala is all set to tap the potential of the Sabarimala pilgrimage season by enticing at least a section of pilgrims to other popular tourist destinations in the State, including other famed pilgrim centres.
The tourists will be given basic information on tourist locations and pilgrim centres in the State, especially those on the way to Sabarimala from different parts of the State, and the specialties there.
Information, including local cuisine and a detailed list of accommodation facilities near each destination categorised as economical and premium, along with their amenities, ratings, and reviews would be provided to the pilgrims using virtual assistants, which would act as ultimate tour guides helping them make the right choices.
Kerala Tourism has conceived a project titled ‘Revamp Sabarimala Microsite and Creation of Virtual Travel Assistant’ and sanctioned ₹63.3 lakh to create a virtual assistant which would be an e-brochure providing comprehensive information and guidance to pilgrims.
Extended stay
A senior Tourism department official told The Hindu that the main objective of the project was to extend the stay of an average Sabarimala pilgrim in the State from just a day to two or three days.
This will benefit the tourism industry in a big way as close to 30 million people visit Sabarimala annually and the number has been steadily increasing over the years, with a growth of 10% in 2022 alone. Among the pilgrims, most visit only some of the famed temples such as the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple or Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram en route to Sabarimala. But the State has a host of historic pilgrim centres and popular tourist destinations. Attracting even a small fraction of these pilgrims to such centres would augur well for the industry, he said.
Local cuisine
Though pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra constitute the majority of other-State Sabarimala pilgrims, most of the south Indian visitors rely on familiar Tamil or Andhra-style restaurants, either due to their preference or lack of awareness of the authentic culinary offerings of the State. By creating online tools such as short videos, e-brochures, and blogs and popularising them through the Kerala Tourism website, YouTube, and other social media platforms, the local cuisine can be made popular among visitors. By showcasing the diversity and richness of the State’s traditional products, tourists could be inspired to explore and indulge in the unique shopping opportunities available in the State, said the official.
The digital content, including a promotional movie on Sabarimala pilgrimage, will be created in five languages, including Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi.
