The websites of all the 14 District Tourism Promotion Councils (DTPCs) in Kerala have been revamped, enabling visitors to quickly access all information about tourism attractions across the State and plan their trips effortlessly.
Launching the revamped websites at a function here on Wednesday, Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas said the updated DTPC websites are stacked with information on diverse attractions awaiting visitors across Kerala. These websites are designed in an attractive manner, enabling tourists to effortlessly navigate through them, choose the places they want to visit, and make use of the facilities available at each location, said the Minister.
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. The revamped websites will enable each district’s tourism activities to be coordinated in a better way. Apart from providing details on each district’s tourist locales, the website makes navigation easier.
By accessing the home pages of the DTPC websites, visitors can traverse through details such as important tourist centres, travellers’ experiences visiting these places, important tourism programmes, and events conducted in each district. The websites featuring artificial intelligence (AI) provide 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 tourists. The hyperlink system on the websites facilitates online services required for travellers. Through this, tourists can avail themselves of 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 such as booking and payment can be integrated through these websites in the future. As these websites have a mobile-responsive design, the layout and content will adapt to the device on which it is accessed. Each website, integrated with social media platforms, currently has 30 pages and can be further developed by adding more tourist centres and other information.
The secretaries of the 14 DTPCs have been urged 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.
Through the revamped websites, people should be given a picture of the trekking and hiking destinations of each district. For this, a special Google Map page 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, said Mr. Riyas.
The Minister also announced that the public will soon be able to avail of the accommodation facilities offered by Public Works department (PWD) rest houses through the revamped websites. The revamp of Kerala Tourism’s website using the latest technology, work on which is under way, will be completed within two months, he added.