Kerala Tourism launches trend-setting campaign: Branded Rajdhani trains

Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja, Kerala Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Kerala Tourism Secretary V Venu at the flagging off of the Kerala tourism-branded Rajdhani Express in New Delhi on January 17, 2010.

In a trend-setting advertising campaign by Kerala Tourism, the 2431 Hazrat Nizamuddin-Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express chugged out of Delhi today with the exteriors of all its 17 coaches wrapped in attention-grabbing vinyl graphics depicting the best of Kerala's many tourist attractions.

The moving showcase of Kerala's scenic grandeur was flagged off by Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja and Kerala Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan from platform no. 5 of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station.

The pictures on the coaches depict the state's beaches, backwaters, hill stations, wildlife, coconut trees, houseboats, boat races and art forms. The train's taglines are "Chalo Kerala" in Hindi and "Go Kerala" in English.

The campaign, billed as the biggest branding exercise ever in India, will run for a period of six months till June, 2010.

During this period, the train will traverse through the length of the country, passing through several states on the way and reaching out to more than 30 million people

"Kerala is the first tourism destination to use train branding to promote the state in what will be one of the most visible and high impact campaigns ever undertaken by Kerala Tourism. I am confident that this unique marketing activity will showcase Kerala and attract more and more Indian travellers to the state," Mr Balakrishnan said.

Kerala Tourism believes this is a very effective way to promote its brand message as the 17 carriages, wrapped in a separate theme, have "complete dominance for space and attention".

"Commuters who use public transport, especially trains, are by far one of the most significant consumer groups in India in terms of expenditure and consumption. In terms of eyeballs, around 85,000 commuters use the platforms on a daily basis and the ‘Chalo Kerala’ campaign is a great way to reach out to this captive audience," Kerala Tourism Secretary V Venu said.

Director of Kerala Tourism M Sivasankar said the campaign was part of the innovative promotion strategy to enhance visibility for the destination and unique tourism products the state has to offer while directly connecting with potential visitors from key source cities.

"It will be impossible for commuters to avoid an exterior montage of endless holiday possibilities, from adventurous to indulgent all fun and engaging while waiting for their train. Passing drivers and pedestrians will also gain top-of-mind awareness through larger than life images and bold branding," he said.

Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja, Kerala Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Kerala Tourism Secretary V Venu at the flagging off of the Kerala tourism-branded Rajdhani Express in New Delhi on January 17, 2010.

Kerala Tourism's strategy is to attract domestic tourists in a big way comes in the wake of the apprehensions about the decline in international tourist arrivals due to recession. It is all set to kick off a three-month campaign, Kerala Tourism Partnership Meet, in Chandigarh on February 1.

The Rajdhani campaign comes close on the heels of a deal with Jet Airways. Kerala is also using the internet to create a buzz about the state. It tied up with Google a few months ago to market the state as a tourist destination.

Malls in different cities are also being used to drive home the brand message. "We are trying to ensure brand visibility using innovative strategies," Kerala Tourism Director Sivasankar said.

The renewed focus on domestic tourism has helped Kerala increase the flow of tourists from within India. The number of foreign tourist arrivals also showed an increase despite the global economic recession, the release said.

According to a Kerala Tourism press release, the arrival of domestic tourists touched 75 lakhs in 2009, a growth of 15% over the previous year. The corresponding figure for international arrivals stood at nearly 7.5 lakhs, more than the previous year.

According to the release, Kerala Tourism has a five-year calendar of events that acts as a ready reckoner for those planning a visit to the state.

Over the past few years, Kerala Tourism has also moved beyond the metros, targeting Tier 2 cities like Pune to familiarize tour and travel operators about the opportunities that Kerala offers.

Air connectivity to Kerala has improved, with flights now from Malaysia and Singapore, in addition to services from the Gulf states.

Kerala Tourism has three road shows lined up in Lyon (France), Munich (Germany) and Amsterdam (Netherlands) after the recent campaign in November in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway.

NNN