South Indian influencers rally behind Wayanad tourism after devastating landslides

Wayanad (Kerala), Sep 17 (PTI) Over 30 social media influencers from the South Indian states gathered at Kalpetta here on Tuesday to show their strong support for the hill district's tourism efforts following recent devastating landslides.

The campaign was kicked off by Tourism and Public Works Minister P A Mohamed Riyas, who unveiled the Kerala Tourism Department's new video, "Ente Keralam Ennum Sundaram," at a ceremony in Mananthavady.

Outside Kerala, the campaign will take off under the tagline "It's Kerala Season," according to an official release here.

Riyas also interacted with the social media influencers, including vloggers and bloggers.

The visit of social media influencers is part of a series of promotional activities for Kerala Tourism's new campaign, which aims to attract more holidaymakers worldwide.

Interacting with the social media influencers, Riyas said the Department of Tourism will organise a 'Tribal Cultural Festival' this year to promote tourism in Wayanad by highlighting the cultural and ethnic heritage of the place.

The minister noted that Wayanad has a special place on tourism map owing to its immense possibilities for adventure tourism and balmy weather.

During his trip to Wayanad, Riyas visited Karlad Lake and stayed in a resort along with his family.

As part of the campaign, social media influencers will visit major tourism destinations in Wayanad and create content that will help catapult the unique features of mind-blowing landscape and scenic beauty of the district.

They will experience for themselves that Wayanad remains as beautiful as ever, like the rest of Kerala, and generate video content for social media to show it to the world.

The hospitality industry witnessed large-scale booking cancellations after the tragedy that hit Chooralmala and Mundakkai areas of the district, which also triggered a barrage of negative stories that appeared on social media.

Following the aggressive campaign, the picturesque district became a top destination, and due to the heavy rush, booking rooms on weekends in many resorts was difficult.

Wayanad was also the first destination chosen for the 'Safe Kerala' campaign launched after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it lost its advantage after the tragedy and negative news spread. PTI