Stating that the tourism sector of Kerala has shown tremendous resilience by outliving back-to-back crises since 2016, the Chief Minister said ''as long as the COVID-19 pandemic prevails we have to live with that situation and develop tourism along with it''.

''We have put in place arrangements for revival of tourism in a safe and risk-free manner, where vaccinated people will receive vaccinated tourists. We have also made serious efforts to keep tourism destinations pollution-free, which have yielded good results,'' Vijayan said in a release.

He said apart from the alluring natural beauty, Kerala enjoys a reputation as a safe and strife-free place to visit and the hospitality of the people were also appreciated globally which would help the state to regain its position as a prime tourism destination.

''Since 2016, the state’s tourism sector has been repeatedly struck by disasters such as cyclone Okhi, Nipah virus, the deluge of 2018 and floods in 2019. Still the state recorded an increase in the arrival of both foreign and domestic tourists in 2018 and 2019,'' Vijayan said.

Saying that the ideals of unity and humanity that Onam brings home is of increased relevance now, Vijayan lauded the Tourism Department for choosing ''Universal Humanity'' as the theme for the ''Global Pookalam'' competition (floral carpet competition) being held as part of the festival, providing an online platform for Keralites from around the world to join the event.

Considering the constraints imposed by the pandemic, the festival that showcases the best of Kerala’s culture and performing traditions is organised on virtual mode, using audio-visual and social media to instill a spirit of celebration aimed at offsetting the general slowdown amid COVID-19. The entire festival will be streamed live on various online platforms.

Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas, who presided over the online function, said that Kerala Tourism has been conducting Onam celebrations for more than three decades.

''In 1982, 1988, 2018 and 2020, we had to call off Onam celebrations due to various crises that affected the state. Onam celebrations are being conducted not only to generate festive mood among the public and make the commercial business active but also to provide a source of income for thousands of artistes,'' he said.

Notwithstanding COVID-19, Kerala Tourism’s website continues to be a big hit by clocking more than 7.5 million visitors last year. The portal’s high popularity is the chief reason to host the Pookalam competition, allowing the participation of Malayalis across the world.

As for performing arts, 65 video clips of performances of local artistes in different art forms, each with 15-minute duration, will be streamed through the state’s audio-visual media channels and social-media platforms. The initiative seeks to rejuvenate artists sitting largely idle in COVID-19 times, a release said.