Kerala - Kochi   

Attracting tourists through the game of football

KOCHI: The State Tourism Department began an all-out effort to woo tourists during the rainy season, about three years ago. The health benefits of undergoing Ayurveda treatments and massage this season, the romantic halo of organising a traditional Kerala wedding in the State (with the monsoons providing the right ambience), the economy tourism packages available during the season and the green-carpet welcome that plants and trees give the guests provide quite an assortment of goodies to tourists.

Boosting private participation in the monsoon-promotional drive is the Tourism Professionals’ Club, which represents prominent tour operators in the State. They have arranged a soccer festival titled ‘Shoot the Rain’, at Parade Ground, Fort Kochi on June 28 and 29. The peculiarity of the event is that two foreign nationals being hosted by each of the participating teams (mainly luxury-hotel employees) too can play along with the teams.

“The monsoon provides the right ambience to play a hardy game like football. Estimates during the past three years say that tourist inflow during the monsoons is increasing by 10 per cent each year. The game will be a value-addition to monsoon tourism,” said Thomas Varghese, the Club’s president. The main target group is foreign tourists who play the game and those who come to view it. Thus Kerala will get international exposure during the season, he said. A technical committee comprising Rufuz D’Souza and T. A. Jaffar – football coaches, are fine-tuning the arrangements. Mr. Jafar said that FIFA rules will be applicable to the event. Spectators can win Rs. 5,000 by predicting the match winner and the winner of the Euro Cup. The Club’s secretary Shaik Ismail said that Kerala is the preferred destination for many tourists because of the vast variety of innovative tourism products. Perhaps, shooting goals in the rain will provide further fillip to monsoon tourism.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Football fever grips Kochiites
Award for Sukumari
Singapore upbeat about prospects in Kerala
Mumbai gallery to promote Kerala art
Insurance staff plea
A question of credibility
MACTA charge
Sector-specific teams to arrive
Attracting tourists through the game of football
Kerala’s strides in IT impress Singapore team
Navy celebrates Hydrography Day
Segregate waste, urges Collector
Hartal case adjourned
Singapore business team visits Kochi
Kochi Today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu