Kerala Travel Centre pays tribute to Steve Jobs.

Few men have had the kind of impact Steve Jobs has had on the world and our lives. A visionary in the true sense of the word, Steve Jobs is a hero like no other and someone whose visions will continue to inspire us and the world.

As Kerala Travel Centre pays tribute to this magnificent human being, it promises to continue to incorporate within its culture Job’s mantra to ’stay hungry…stay foolish’. RIP

Ring in the New Year in Kerala with the Cochin Carnival!

Thats right! If you are in Cochin over the New year, then dont miss the biggest party in town….the Cochin Carnival.

Fort Cochin in Kerala to this day remains a melting pot of cultures. It is the diverse facets of a multi-ethic, multi-lingual culture that the Cochin Carnival has sought to capture in a brief spectrum of uninhibited gaiety heralding the New Year.  The carnival dates back to the Portuguese New Year revelry held here during the colonial days. Gradually, it evolved to take the form of what is today popularly called the Cochin Carnival.

Like the famous carnivals of Europe, Latin America and Goa, Cochin Carnival brings together people from all walks of life in a riot of colour and gaiety to celebrate the advent of the New Year. Innumerable people come from all over the world, clad in exotic coloured attires to add that special touch to the revelry. Their ultimate aim is the fostering of communal harmony by offering people a platform for a common celebration of life.

The activities of the carnival revolve around five concepts: Peace, Progress, Environment, Participation and Adventure. The start of the Carnival is heralded by the hoisting of the Carnival Flag, followed by the flags of all participating Clubs on the beachfront.  The message of the Carnival is then read out to the world.  With this a period of celebration and gaiety is unleashed.  Preparations generally begin months in advance, and the events, spread over two weeks at Fort Cochin reflect the festive mood of the Carnival and consist of fun events, unique games, fairs and partying.

With the setting of the sun over the Arabian Sea each day, the cultural fiesta commences.  The grand final of the Carnival is the Carnival Rally on New Year’s Day in which floats and processions are taken out depicting the various facets of life in Cochin, important national and international events and the diverse historical and cultural heritage of the area.

With the passage of time, the form and method of Cochin Carnival has also changed. Now it has become more focused on the colourful and flamboyant New Year day celebrations. Many foreigners also like to be here on New Year day to participate in the celebrations.

To know more about the Cochin carnival, call Kerala Travel Centre today on freephone 0808 178 9799. Book yourself a fabulous holiday in Kerala, and catch Cochin at its colourful best.

Photo Credit: Seny Arukattu

Munnar ranked second best tourist destination in Asia.

Kerala’s hill-station Munnar was ranked as the second best tourist destination in Asia in TripAdvisor’s 2010 Traveller’s Choice Destination Awards. Tokyo emerged on top, followed by Munnar in the second place and Siem Reap of Cambodia in the third. The winners were determined by a combination of travellers’ comments and overall destination popularity on TripAdvisor. Now in the eighth year, these awards are based on millions of genuine reviews and opinions about destinations on TripAdvisor and online.

Dr. Venu, Secretary, Kerala Tourism was delighted. “Millions of travellers rely on TripAdvisor for travel inspiration. So we are thrilled and humbled that Munnar has been honoured by travellers this year,” he said. “The TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards are particularly meaningful, as they are determined by real travellers,” he added.

“With 15 million registered members, more than 34 million monthly visitors, and 30 million traveller reviews and opinions, TripAdvisor is no doubt the world’s most popular and largest travel community. So we are delighted and thrilled to learn that Munnar has been rated so well,” said M. Sivasankar, Director, Kerala Tourism.

While Munnar, a picturesque hill station in Kerala’s Idukki district, with misty mountains, pristine valleys, sprawling tea plantations, and crisp, cool air has long been a favourite of Indian and international tourists, it has started attracting adventure travellers as well of late. The region’s rugged terrain makes it an ideal destination for trekking, paragliding and rock climbing. The Eravikulam National Park which is home to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr (ibex) and over 120 species of birds is another major attraction.

Eight other Indian destinations also made it to the top 25 Asian destination choice list, including Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the 6th spot, Manali (7), Hampi (8), Goa (9), Udaipur (12), Gangtok (19), Bangalore (20) and Dharamsala (22).