Kerala Tourism - Branding a Tourist Destination

In the early-1990s, advertisements featuring the tagline, 'God's Own Country,'began appearing in the print and electronic media in India. These advertisements were not run by a company to promote its products and services. Instead, the campaign was run by Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) and was intended to promote the South Indian state of Kerala as a tourist destination.

The advertisers projected Kerala as 'the place to be,'marketing every aspect of the state from the towns, cities, beaches, backwaters, cultural heritage, food, wildlife and even the centuries-old tradition of healthcare through Ayurveda¹.

KTDC, perhaps had no idea that with this campaign, it had hit upon a gold mine. Over the next few years, the organization's efforts to 'sell'Kerala to Indians as well as foreigners began paying off. The state reportedly became one of the places with the 'highest brand recall,'thanks to its unique positioning and targeting efforts.

And the advertisements helped Kerala stand out as the 'destination of choice'in India and tourist arrivals began increasing significantly. Commenting on the state's efforts to brand itself, Prahalad Kakkar, acclaimed Indian ad-filmmaker, said, “Kerala does not need to take any extra effort to gain popularity or to establish itself as a hot destination anymore.”