Swathed in myriad hues, the superfast train has encapsulated on its exterior the best of Kerala—its serene beaches, emerald backwaters, lush hill stations, exotic wildlife, coconut palms, houseboats and enchanting art forms. Kerala Tourism had to shell out a decent price for the project—Rs 1.2 crore. The train which was flagged off by Union Minister for Tourism Kumari Selja from Hazrat Nizamuddin on January 17 made its maiden journey from here on Tuesday evening.
With its new tag line “Chalo Kerala” and “Go Kerala,” the train will journey for six months through 10 states which form the heart of India. It is expected to reach out to more than three crore people in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. “Kerala is the first tourism destination to use train branding to promote a state which will be one of Kerala Tourism’s high impact campaign as well,” said Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. The new campaign takes a cue from Airtel’s Rajdhani campaign which won the bronze medal at the 2008 Singapore Outdoor advertisement awards for Peacock Media which has executed both the projects. The company has a five-year contract with railways which also includes improving services inside the train.
According to Sandeep Chawla, director of Peacock Media, the wrap-around of long-distance trains was in the nascent stage of being developed as an effective medium. “Each train visibility caters to approximately 85,000 people along the stations it crosses every day,’’ he said. The new strategy to attract domestic tourists comes in the backdrop of apprehensions about the decline in international tourist arrivals because of recession. Kerala Tourism is all set to kick off a three-month campaign from February 1.
