Karnataka tourism woos Kerala

A high-level delegation of Karnataka tourism officials will be in Kochi on September 8 to introduce new offers, products and packages for the upcoming tourism season.

Karnataka Tourism is currently on a 10-city tour across the country to promote its destinations. The campaign titled ‘Karnataka. Now Within Your Reach’ is aimed at impressing upon the media and the travel community that with so many initiatives undertaken to improve destination experiences, travel options and accommodation facilities, Karnataka’s amazing destinations are all within the reach of travellers.

According to tourism officials, travellers from Kerala contribute immensely to the 38 million tourists who throng Karnataka, especially Mysore.

Among the new products that will be introduced by the team led by K Viswanatha Reddy, director of tourism and Vinay Luthra, managing director of Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation is the luxury train Golden Chariot.

The Golden Chariot has a new and extended itinerary that covers the whole of south India.

Eco tourism resort chain Jungle Lodges & Resorts, an undertaking of the Karnataka government, will announce two new properties that have started operating in Hampi and Mangalore. The former is based on conservation of the Indian sloth bear and the latter around a coastal rural village. Another two properties at Jog Falls and Bidar will be added to the chain by May 2011. This will take the total number of its resorts to 16.

A new brand of intrinsic eco tourism experiences along the Western Ghat region has also been formed and is already operational. Jungle Camps and Trails, an 11-camp product offers experiences in the state's deep jungles, which are among the bio diversity hotspots of the world.

Special offers for travellers from Kochi will be announced at the Marketing Meet, which will also showcase the state’s folk culture.