Dear Readers,
“ If opportunity doesn’ t knock, build a door”
To start this edition of Metro Mart I am using the quote of Milton Berle, an Emmy-winning American comedian and actor. Apart from being the capital city of our state, Thiruvananthapuram was always in the world map for its nature. Its beaches, hills, temples and the hospitality of cityites used to bring foreign tourists regularly back to the city, an industry grown without much human efforts.
Foreword
Today things have changed. Tourism industry, being one of the major sources of income to our city is in need of critical attention. We are competing with global tourism destinations and also with our own national tourist destinations to woo the revenue. With complete information and statistics at their finger tips a tourist have different options to choose from for a perfect holiday. We have to accept the fact that we are not having global tourist-friendly atmosphere as well as the cost is slightly higher comparing to our neighboring destinations. ess 3
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During the last meeting of South Kerala Hoteliers Forum, its Secretary General M R Narayanan emphasized the need of aggressive marketing to increase the inflow of tourists. We have to market our destination across the year with different packages, not only in the international market but to the tourists across our country. Domestic tourist numbers have grown for the last one decade, and now contribute a lot of revenue, which can still be tapped better. All stakeholders must come together to market our destination with the best guest services, following Kerala’ s doctrine of“ Athithi Devo Bhava”.
In this edition, we feature our city in rain, The Monsoon – a major attraction for tourists to come and experience the calm nature and pleasant weather in our city. Today we have to create opportunities to survive and be successful in the most competitive environment.
It’ s your feedback that has always helped us to bring the better side of METRO. I look forward to hear from you. Your reviews help us to make METRO, Smart. Till then happy reading.
Hari Shanker Manag8ing Editor www. metromartdaily. com July 2013 5