Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran to inaugurate ICTT India in Kochi

Mr. P Bala Kiran IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism

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The Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala in association with ATTOI will host the country’s biggest tourism technology conference in Kochi to address the challenges related with technology faced by Indian tourism and hospitality industry. The three-day long event that will begin on June 8^th will be formally inaugurated by Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran on June 9th. International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) is a one of its kind event in the country focusing on the most pertinent aspects of building and growing businesses on technology platforms.
The inaugural function will see a string of high-profile attendees, including Hibi Eden MLA, Dr Venu V, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Tourism, and Shri P Bala Kiran, IAS, Director, Department of Tourism. Dr. Venu will launch the twitter campaign #Kerala #IndiaForBeginners and Shri Bala Kiran will launch the Facebook campaign during the inaugural ceremony.
Talking about the conference, Mr. P Bala Kiran IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism said, “The tourism industry is adopting another “T”: Travel, Tourism and Technology. In this era, technology caters to the needs of   consumers, companies and   destinations. Therefore, it is indispensable to incorporate technology in management of tourism related businesses.”
The objective of this conference is to prepare the travel and tourism industry in India and neighbouring countries to understand the importance of web marketing, how to use the resources available online to drive business, get inputs in adapting to the changing technology and acquiring skills to beat competition.
“Kerala Tourism has always been a pioneer in taking significant steps to promote state tourism and support the growth of the tourism industry. This conference on tourism technology is yet another initiative undertaken in association with ATTOI. Keeping pace with the technological advancements also helps in reaching out to international tourists by being easily accessible through social media platforms,” said Minister for Tourism, Mr. Kadakampally Surendran.
“Kerala Tourism, with its new tourism policy, is preparing for a big leap in promoting responsible tourism that benefits the visitor as well as local communities. The government is confident that the progress of the state through tourism is unfinished without the idea of inclusion in terms of increased participation of the community in general,” he added.
Being the patron of small and medium enterprises who are contributing to the industry, The Kerala government is planning to use its own live streaming technology to tap tourists’ experiential accounts of the destinations they visit. Considering its potential for tourism promotion in India, a group of young professionals from Kerala, with the support of state Tourism Department, is all set to explore live streaming as a major campaign tool for the upcoming second edition of International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT).
“Kerala Tourism has always stood a step forward in utilizing the most modern ways of communication and social media platforms in promoting   tourism destinations of the state. Adopting emerging technology will further boost the travel and hospitality sector of Kerala, and enable us to reach out to a larger audience,” said Dr.Venu V , IAS, Principal Secretary Tourism.
Prominent industry leaders and evangelists such as Andrew Chow, media strategist and entrepreneur from Singapore, Lauren Clelend, named one of the Top 20 most influential tourism professionals on Twitter and Philip Calvert, social networking entrepreneur will lead the sessions.
Kerala Tourism in association with ATTOI (Association of Tourism Trade Organizations, India) back in 2013 did the first ICTT to impart new skill sets for the trade partners and now ICTT is back with its 2017 edition. The conference will take on critical aspects of technology in tourism industry; from content and search engine strategy, use of social media (Whatsapp, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and other such tools) for branding and positioning to video marketing, managing online reputations and even the payment gateway. The ICTT is a platform for travel businesses to learn from the experiences of people who have benefited tremendously from the technology route.