Thanks to the reports of several instances rape – the most famous of them was of Scarlett Keeling - and other crimes being reported in the national and international media. As if in an attempt to revive the flagging fortunes of the tourism scene in the beach state, the administration is looking at the e-route to make things work to its advantage.

According to sources, Goa is set to log on to social networking websites in its bid to restore lost glory. The Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has plans to get on to Twitter and Facebook in an attempt at image building initiatives.

Officials at GTFC have been quoted as saying that social networking has the potential to help Goa reach out to new clients and also keep in touch with existing guests who have Goa on their annual holiday itinerary. If this works out, GTDC would be the first state-run agency to have its presence on Twitter.

Goa has been battered by bad press and travel advisories of late. The state, known for its sunny beaches, has been struggling to maintain its foreign tourist inflow after crimes against foreigners were reported extensively.

Though bad media coverage had been bane to the tourist destination, some amount of relief had come from  a steady inflow of tourists from Russia. Visitors from Russia almost saved the industry from disaster with around 40,000 arrivals recorded. The numbers are expected to go up with the state set to log on to the social networking websites.  On Twitter and Facebook, Goa will be trying to paint a positive picture of the state so that tourists from far and wide take note.

Our take is that Goa is messed up for a long, long time. Goa’s politicians are in the news, always, for corruption, assault, rape or sundry criminal charges. There is a strong stream of thought in Goa that foreign tourists – at least, the hippies – are ruining local culture. Even the state government is not immune to it – often suggesting that tourists cover up, and that local customs need to be followed – and trivialising crimes against tourists. Then there is the flourishing mafia and drug trade – but at least, drugs have always been part of any tourist hotspot in the world.

Social networking on Facebook or Twitter can boomerang if serious changes are not made in the way Goa is being run. When you have something to hide or are embarrassed about, going out into conversational media is not always safe. Clean up your house first, Goa!

Kerala tourism officials said the need to have an active presence in markets like Russia and Sweden that are showing strong potential. “The global tourism sector is extremely competitive and MITT provides another platform to talk to a new market. We know that 2009 is going to be a tough year for our sector, so we cannot afford to be complacent. It is vital that we continue to build relationships with our customers and develop new ones to ensure that Kerala is top of mind once confidence returns,” according to a top officials.

Kerala’s leading hoteliers namely Thomas Holidays & Resorts, Kadavu Resorts and Somatheeram Ayurvedic Beach Resort will be joining Kerala Tourism to promote the strengths of the destination to Russians and the Swedes. They have already met with several tour operators who showed interest in including Kerala in their product mix including Intravel, IHPL, Intourcentre, India Tour and Transaero Tour.

Further, ayurveda is gaining popularity with Russian outbound tourists and some 9,766 Russians visited Kerala last year, a 47 per cent increase on 2007.

Another new trade show that Kerala Tourism attended was TUR in Sweden, which was held from 19-22 March 2009 in the city of Goteborg. Swedish interest in ayurveda and beach holidays was also apparent at the Kerala Stand at TUR, the largest Scandinavian trade fair for travel and tourism.

Trade partners from Kerala, CGH Earth, Somatheeram Ayurvedic Beach Resort and Pioneer Personalised Holidays participated at the fair.

Despite the current economic crisis, 20,000 visitors visited Keraka Tourism counters during the trade days and 33,000 visited during the weekend when the fair was open to the public, indicating that Swedish interest in travelling remains high. More than 1,900 companies from 103 countries and regions attended the trade fair.

Last year 20,666 Swedish arrivals were registered in Kerala, double that of 2007, making Sweden the fifth largest source market for the State.

Kerala Tourism co-ordinates and participates in a number of international trade shows and events each year to promote Kerala as a premier travel destination. The majority of these trade shows and events are held within key international markets, bringing together the Kerala tourism industry to meet with travel agents and wholesalers from around the world.

Over 2,000 frontline travel staff from around the world including; travel agents, tour operators and MICE agents will be invited to visit Dubai throughout March, April and May for a three day familiarisation trip, under the banner of the ‘Keep discovering Dubai’ campaign.

Keep Discovering Dubai is a combined initiative involving; Emirates, DTCM, hoteliers and DMCs, with all parties collaborating to host the 2,000 plus visitors from over 50 countries, and showcase Dubai’s accessibility, infrastructure and range of amenities, from flights and choice of accommodation, to tours, dining and a spectrum of leisure options.

During the hosted three-day visit guests will be treated to a unique experience combining Arabian hospitality and entertainment. From desert safaris and gourmet dining to meandering through the traditional Bastakiya, the trip will provide tour and travel operators with an unforgettable experience, designed to showcase Dubai’s diverse culture and options for every traveller segment.

“Dubai city offers unparalleled entertainment and leisure options with new developments unveiled almost every month. It is critical that we maintain a constant dialogue with international travel agents, tour operators and MICE agents, to ensure they are aware of the new attractions that may be of interest to their clients. This campaign is a major highlight of our joint efforts with the key players of the tourism industry in the emirate,” said Mohammed Khamis bin Hareb, DTCM Executive Director Marketing and Operations.

“As Dubai increases its offering of world-class hospitality, the emirate is the preferred holiday destination for tourists from around the world. Dubai’s tourism product offering is going from strength to strength thanks to the diversity of activities and hospitality offerings. The future is looking equally exciting,.” he added.

The incentives offered under the Visit India 2009 scheme include:

1. One complimentary international air passage for traveling companion

2. One night complimentary stay in the hotel booked by the tourist

3. One complimentary local sightseeing tour in any one city of visit and

4. One complimentary Rural Eco Holiday in the country

This offer is based on providing one service free for every service availed by the tourists in collaboration with Airlines, Hotels and Tour Coordinators.

Airlines like Jet airways, Air India and Kingfisher have partnered with the Tourism ministry for the Visit India scheme. The Hotel Association of India and tour operators affiliated to the IATO (Indian Association of Tour Operators) has also aligned themselves with the ministry.

All member hotels of the Hotel Association of India will offer benefits in one of the following three categories:

1. Stay one night and get the second consecutive night free

2. Stay two nights and get the third consecutive night free

3. Stay three nights and get the fourth consecutive night free

All taxes would be extra and payable by the guest.

Some other hotels like the Select group of Hotels have individually offered incentives under the scheme.

The tourists can avail any one of the incentives independently and are not compelled to go for the complete package.

The Tourism ministry has expected tourist growth to be around 10 million in 2008 but had to settle for a mere growth rate of 5.36% as compared to an increase of 14.5% in 2007.

India’s foreign exchange earnings suffered a 22% dip in 2008 following Mumbai Terror attacks. Hotels reported that 50 per cent of the reservations were cancelled which lead to the government intervention to stabilize this situation. They experienced a negative growth of 2.1 per cent in November 2008.

Few other bailout measures were suggested, for instance grant of deemed export status to the tourism sector, cut in luxury tax and extension of tax holidays for hotels, cut in service tax for tour operators and delinking of hotel projects from real estate projects – but none could be incorporated into the scheme as all these measures required clearance certificates from various ministries.