1 Million Facebook Fans and Counting for Kerala Tourism

TechnoparkToday.com(Aug, 2014): The tech savvy tourism department of Kerala reached a spectacular milestone this week when the number of its fans on Facebook hit the one million mark. Kerala Tourism is the first tourism board in the country to have more than one million fans on its hugely popular Facebook page.

Kerala Tourism is well ahead of major global tourism destination boards like Singapore Tourism (8 lakh fans), Thailand Tourism (6 lakh fans), Paris Tourism (3.2 lakh fans) and Sri Lanka Tourism (6.6k fans)

Launched in 2010, the Kerala Tourism Facebook page has been a gateway for its fans all over the world to catch glimpses of the state through the social media. With the help of the Facebook page, fans are also given information on the latest events and news in the state in areas ranging from art to culture.

“We are deeply heartened by this landmark achievement,” said Kerala Tourism Minister Shri A P Anilkumar. “Kerala Tourism has always been in the forefront when it comes to embracing the power of the social media to reach out to the people,” he added.

“We owe our success to the fans of Kerala around the world,” said Kerala Tourism Secretary Shri Suman Billa. “It is a top priority for Kerala Tourism to be in constant touch with people from different parts of the world and help them understand the land better,” Shri Billa added.

Kerala Tourism also has dedicated Facebook pages in French and German languages, which specifically cater to the needs of the French and German-speaking audiences across the world. Over the past few years, French and German-speaking audiences have proven to be key groups as far as Kerala Tourism is concerned.

For the purpose of promoting knowledge and awareness about Ayurveda, Kerala Tourism launched two Facebook pages – Kerala: Home of Ayurveda and Kerala: Heimat des Ayurveda — in English and German respectively. With 1.2 lakh active fans, the department’s Facebook page on Ayurveda in English is the most comprehensive Facebook page in the country on our ancient medicinal system. The German Ayurveda Facebook page has a healthy chunk of fans that are primarily based in the German-speaking regions of the world.

“In a world where technology has transformed the way we communicate and interact, it was a visionary step for Kerala Tourism to take the help of the social media to promote tourism much before others did,” said Kerala Tourism Director P. I. Sheik Pareeth. “We thank our fans for the support,” he added.

The loyal fan base of 1 million was achieved by having highly-focused campaigns to inform the people and global travellers about the destinations and the various facets of life in ‘God’s Own Country’. There have been several carefully-constructed campaigns undertaken by the tourism department, which guaranteed higher interaction with its fans. There are sustained efforts to ensure that regular assistance is provided by the Facebook page to any traveller who wishes to visit the state. The Department also engages with amateur photographers from across the state, who regularly contribute images to the page.

According to the agency that handles social media, the Facebook page and the Twitter handle (@KeralaTourism) which has 26,000 followers are the most engaging platforms in Kerala Tourism’s social media deck. Meanwhile, the followers of Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn accounts are also increasing at a steady pace, with a large number of travellers and Kerala lovers outside the state much active in these platforms.