Kadakampally Surendran to Inaugurate Global Tourism Technology Meet on June 9

KOCHI:
Kerala Tourism, Devaswoms and Cooperation Minister Kadakampally Surendran will formally inaugurate the second edition of International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT), billed as India’s biggest tourism technology meet, at an impressive function here on June 9.
The inaugural function, which begins at 9 am at Hotel Le Meridien, will see a string of high-profile attendees, including Hibi Eden MLA, Dr Venu V, Principal Secretary, Department of Tourism, and Bala Kiran, Director, Department of Tourism.
The second edition of ICTT, to be held here from June 8-10, is the only conference of its kind in the country focusing on the most pertinent aspects of building businesses on technology platforms.
This includes topics such as managing online reputations; using Whatsapp, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and other such tools for product marketing; writing content for websites and blogs; making payment gateway more efficient; and video marketing on Facebook Live and YouTube.
“Earlier, the online platform was termed as a big threat to the tourism trade. However the inception of ICTT explored different ways to convert this threat into an opportunity. Around 500 delegates, including tour operators, hoteliers, resort owners, home stays, SEO (search engine optimization) companies, software firms, social media marketing companies and bloggers, are expected to attend the conference,” said ATTOi President Anish Kumar P.K during a press conference held here on Monday.
Dr Venu will launch the twitter campaign #Kerala #IndiaForBeginners on the sidelines of the event, being organized by Association of Tourism Trade Organisation (ATTOI) with support from Kerala Tourism. Kiran will launch the Facebook Campaign during the inaugural ceremony.
“Tourists coming to India normally prefer to visit the ‘Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur) as their first choice. The hashtag campaign aims to attract more domestic and international tourists to Kerala by showcasing the unique factors of the state,” he said.
Over 15 subject experts across the globe will offer their insights on 24 different topics related to online promotion of the business.
“These online channels are becoming essential if hoteliers want to retain customers, improve hotel positioning, and gain a competitive advantage in markets that are sometimes saturated with hotel supply. ICTT will be beneficial for hotels and tour operators who want to develop strategies to reach out to direct clients,” he added.
“The future of travel is certainly digital, and ATTOI is maximizing its use of technology by using live streaming as a promotional campaign tool for the ICTT,” he pointed out.
ATTOi organizing committee members Hari Kumar C. and Janesh J. were also present. Registrations are ongoing, with details available on www.icttindia.org and www.facebook.com/ictt2017 .