Tripadvisor’s top ranking comes as jewel in the crown of Queen of Arabian Sea

KOCHI: Kochi has got another feather in its cap as the city has been ranked 2020’s top trending destinations in the world by travel tourism website Tripadvisor. The tourism stakeholders see it as a major feat to attract the attention of tourists from across the globe. The recently released list by Tripadvisor has ranked Kochi first among 25 trending destinations in the world. Luzon in the Philippines, Porto in Portugal, Porto Seguro in Brazil, Gramado in Brazil, Lombok in Indonesia, Da Nang in Vietnam, Zakynthos in Greece, Tel Aviv in Israel and Karkow in Poland are the other top nine trending destination among 25 listed destinations by Tripadvisor.

“Look for spicy dishes flavoured with tamarind and coconut in Kochi, and don’t be surprised if your dinner is served up on a banana leaf. The region is a major banana-growing area, and traditional Kochi cuisine employs the fruit in many dishes, both sweet and savoury. Coconut water provides a refreshing and sweet contrast to the piquant food,” Tripadvisor describes Kochi on it website. Tripadvisor has listed 626 things to do in Kochi in which Kerala Kathakali Centre, Chottanikkara temple and Kerala Folklore Museum were listed among ‘Don’t Miss’ category. 

Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) secretary S Vijaya Kumar said such accolades will help the tourism sector. “Surely, it is going to help attract tourists to Kochi. These rankings are given based on reviews and recommendations of the tourists. These websites and apps are widely referred to by foreign tourists before charting out their tour programmes,” he said.

Lonely Planet has included Kochi among the top 10 destinations to visit in 2020. Likewise, Nat Geo Traveller ranked Fort Kochi ninth among 25 top tourist destinations to explore in 2020. “We found that in spite of the coronvirus scare, tourism in Kerala, especially Kochi, is not affected. The ratings made by these internationally famed websites and magazines have helped.

We expect that popularity of Kochi will increase further when the tourism season begins later this year,” he said.Meanwhile, Tripadvisor has ranked Goa 11th among 25 popular destinations in the world in 2020. The Oberoi Rajvilas in Jaipur is ranked 13th among 25 best hotels in 2020. Indian Accent in New Delhi is the 18th best restaurant among 25 in the world.