Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Tourism was voted as 'India's favorite Waterfront Destination' for Alleppey by the HolidayIQ Better Holiday Awards.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh presented this prestigious award to Venu V, Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism, at a function held in New Delhi on Thursday, a tourism press release said here.
Speaking on the occasion, Venu said, "It is an honour to receive an award which recognises the efforts of the Tourism Department. This award reiterates the popularity of the state tourism as it was chosen by over 15 crore Indian travelers," he said.
Venu said Kerala Tourism department is always keen on implementing new and innovative ideas and projects for the growth of Kerala as the best destination.
"Prestigious awards like these are an inspiration to raise the benchmark in taking up new initiatives which will further enhance our projects to provide best-in-class experience in the future as well."
"In 2016,foreign and domestic tourists' arrival to Kerala has increased by 6.23 percentage and 5.67 percentage respectively,demonstrating the increasing popularity of Kerala as one of the preferred tourist destinations of India," he said.
"I'm excited to learn that Alleppey, the evergreen backwater destination of Kerala, continues to be the favourite among the travellers and tour operators', Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said on Kerala tourism getting the award.
Getting an award for another individual feature of the state in itself shows how versatile our state is as a tourist destination, he said, adding 'I'm so overwhelmed by the fact that Kerala is gaining popularity and is preferred by people all over".
The HolidayIQ Better Holiday Awards is a recognition of exceptional experiences provided by millions of Indian Travellers from more than 100 cities and towns of India.
PTI
