THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For a change, this off-season tour operators will be at the mercy of the tourist. Kerala Tourism has put in place a strategy where the operators will have no choice but to offer the tourist the most cost-effective deal possible. The new off-season strategy asks tourists to put up their own detailed travel itinerary on Facebook; the number of days of travel, the places they would like to visit, the experiences they would want to go through, the kind of accommodation they would prefer, and also the mode of transport.
It will be a virtual auction of sorts with various tour operators responding to a tourist’s itinerary with their competitive plans and estimates. “It is up to the tourist to make the final call,” a top Tourism Department official said. The tourist is also free to post his travel itinerary on the Facebook, which will further encourage tour operators to offer the most refined deals. “The objective is to make the pricing a transparent and public affair. This in turn will ensure the best possible deal for the traveler,” the official said. This off-season strategy, according to the official, will offer a twist in the Kerala story.
“Generally, our destination is seen as pricey. This time we have roped in the highly competitive market to bring down the prices,” he added. The strategy has a fine subtlety to it. Four years ago, in a desperate attempt to get more footfalls during the off-season, the Department had stated that Kerala was a low-cost destination. “It was hugely embarrassing then, as we prided on being a classy destination. But the desperate measure, instead of increasing demand, dumbed the destination down,” the official said.
