Setting a new benchmark on social media platforms, the number of followers on the official Facebook page of Kerala Tourism has gone up to over two million, propelling it to the top position among the portals of Tourism Departments in the country.
It was in August 2014 that @keralatourismofficial had crossed the one-million mark.
Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said, “In this techno-savvy age when people are keenly following social media to keep themselves abreast of developments, this achievement has brought recognition for Kerala Tourism not just from other parts of India but also from countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, U.S., Australia, and the U.K.”
A press note quoting Kerala Tourism Secretary Rani George said, “Making a brand presence on social media has been part of our efforts to position Kerala firmly as a tourism destination across all segments of the population. Social media have helped us transcend geographies.”
Braving floods
The Kerala Tourism Facebook page played a vital role in communicating to the world that Kerala was tourism-ready after the August-2018 floods through live videos across destinations.
Director, Kerala Tourism, P. Bala Kiran said, “Kerala Tourism page occupies the top slot in a comparison with other tourism pages in the country, ahead of Gujarat Tourism and the Incredible India pages. The FB pages of Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, which are above that of Kerala Tourism, belong to countries whereas we are a small State.”
While Kerala Tourism has 2.4 million plus likes, Gujarat Tourism has 1.3 million plus likes, followed by Incredible India that has 1.2 million plus likes.
When compared with other international tourism pages, the page ranks fourth, slightly trailing behind ‘Amazing Thailand’ page.
‘Tourism Malaysia’ is at the top of the pack with 3.4 million followers; ‘VisitSingapore’ has 3.1 million followers and ‘Amazing Thailand’ 2.5 million.