The Kannada posts on Kerala tourism department’s official Facebook page is garnering attention

The Kerala Tourism Department seems to be pulling out all stops to boost its tourism sector after footfall dropped drastically owing to the floods and Nipah virus outbreak last year. Now, its scenic hotspots are being promoted in Kannada on its official social networking platform.

Details of many of its tourist destinations in Kannada have appeared on the official Facebook page and going by the number of likes, it has been widely accepted by Kannada-speaking people across the country.

The post on Athirapally Falls, posted on May 31 garnered 14,000 likes and 290 shares. Another post on Varkala received a similar response.

Tourists are coaxed to visit the over 2,000-year-old Sri Janardhana Swamy temple there besides the scenic wonders.

The most-popular Kannada post is on Munnar and Idukki. The 49-word post describes the beauty of Munnar and the Eravikulam National Park, offering a visit to a tea factory to view the “from leaf to cup” processing. Posted on May 7, it has got over 44,000 likes and 1,100 shares. Appreciation has come in from both Kannada and Malayalam-speaking communities.

The official Facebook page, created in 2010, has many posts in English. But, the Kannada post on Munnar is the only one that has got 44,000 likes so far, said a senior officer at the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.

On condition of anonymity, he told The Hindu over phone: “The use of Kannada is aimed at tapping the tourism potential from Karnataka to the optimum level. The department wants to attract tourists who are unable to read English.”

Tourist arrivals have begun and is expected to peak. The Kerala government has already improved infrastructure facilities at all tourist spots, said Adithya, assistant director, Department of Kerala Tourism. “Currently, Kannada is the only regional language on the Facebook page as a majority of the tourists are from the State. There are plans to include other regional languages as well,” a senior officer said.

The department had taken the help of Kannada-speaking people to translate the posts, he said.