Kerala, often marketed as a honeymooners’ paradise in India, is now being repositioned as an activity holiday destination that aims to attract the youth.

“We want to reposition Kerala to appeal to the young crowd, which is why our latest promotional initiatives extensively use new media such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter . We want to avoid product fatigue by moving beyond just exploiting the backwaters and ayurveda as USPs to position ourselves as an activity-based holiday destination that appeals to youngsters. There are 15 wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala, which we want to market.” said Venu V secretary of Kerala Tourism.

“Under the activity holiday category, Kerala offers options such as kayaking, hiking and trekking, jeep safaris, parasailing, rock climbing asnd cycling all in the midst of the immense natural beauty the state has to offer,” said Venu. It is also trying to woo new segments such as college students and the techie crowd with mid-segment offers.

The staff at wildlife sanctuaries is being trained to deal with guests and act as guides for nature walk trails and kayaking. Accommo-dations including Swiss tents are also being added. “We have found that Domestic travellers to Kerala spend on an average Rs 3,000 per day, which adds directly to the local economy,” said M Sivasankar, director of Kerala Tourism.