Kerala Blog Express unfolds the marvels of the state for travel enthusiasts worldwide, in its fourth sojourn

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Kerala-Blog-ExpressINVC NEWS
Thiruvananthapuram,

After receiving a thumbs-up from enthusiastic travelers in the far reaches of  France and Poland, the fourth edition of the Kerala Blog Express – an innovative and interesting idea created by Ministry of Tourism – Government of Kerala, concluded on a high note at Udaya Samudra Beach resort in Kovalam today. The closing ceremony was graced by the presence of Shri. Kadakampalli Surendran, Minister for Tourism – Government of Kerala and Shri. P Balakiran IAS, Director of Kerala Tourism. Packed with breathtaking pictures of the scenic state, to accounts of road trip adventures and culinary delights, this edition witnessed participation of 38,000 travelling enthusiasts, while 30 bloggers from 29 countries made their mark.

Blog Express is a unique idea by the Tourism Department of Kerala with an objective to spread the tourism message through social media, bloggers’ meet and road travel. The fourth edition of Kerala Blog Express was attended by 30 bloggers from 28 countries such as U.K., Germany, Italy, Spain and other parts of Europe, who were selected from around 38,000 travelling enthusiasts. These bloggers began a two-week long exploration of ‘God’s Own Country’, traversing hills, beaches, backwaters and experiencing life in villages and cities, as part of an award-winning promotional campaign of Kerala Tourism. Kerala Blog Express 4 travelled through Alleppey, Kumarakom, Thekkady, Munnar, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragode. The participants were given a grand farewell by the Tourism department of Kerala.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri. Kadakampalli Surendran, Minister for Tourism – Government of Kerala said, “Over the years, the Kerala Blog Express has gathered momentum and has become one of the most popular destination for travel-bloggers to meet and experience India’s most frequently visited state by tourists from across the globe. With the resounding success of the last three editions, we are hoping that that the fourth edition of Blog Express will continue to spread the beauty of Kerala through various media to the world to a wider international audience. We are expecting a huge tourist flow to Kerala during the next season.”

“The Tourism Department is confident that Blog Express will continue to spread the beauty of Kerala through various media to the world and a wider international audience. It will further boost the tourism and contribute significantly in the economy of the state ..” He further added.

The Blog Express, which began at Bolgatty Palace, traversed through the mountains, rivers, backwaters, villages and cities. The Kerala Blog express is a first-of-its-kind initiative by the Kerala Tourism Department which aims at showcasing the best of God’s own country, across the world. The representatives of the marvels of the state are none other than tourists themselves as they blog on their vacation experiences in the state. The idea is to spread the tourism message through social media, bloggers’ meet and road travel.

The third edition of Blog Express yielded positive results with 9,000 tweets, three lakh website visits, 2,000 Instagram pictures, and more than 100 blog articles. Further, the Czech National Radio, Polish Radio and Bulgarian Radio aired programmes; a French travel TV channel telecasted a documentary on the culture of Kerala. Leading newspapers in New Zealand and Italy published articles while Youtube videos and Facebook posts greatly helped to showcase the resplendent beauty of Kerala before the world.

The event aims at attracting tourists from all parts of the world with travel bloggers sharing their experience of Kerala through various media. During the two weeks of exploration, they have a firsthand experience of the iconic tourist offerings Kerala has come to be associated with, such as backwater cruises, houseboat stays, Kathakali performances, martial arts and Ayurvedic spa massages.

In the last three years, approximately 87 brand ambassadors visited Kerala during the last three editions of Blog Express, and by documenting their experiences across conventional, digital and social media platforms, they brought a robust positivity to the tourism scenario in the state.

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