Kerala voted as the best holiday destination in Asia
Published September 2, 2010 | 
Kerala has been voted as the best Asian holiday destination ahead of even the blue chip tourist destinations like Bali, Phuket and Maldives. Kerala’s enviable coastline , the tranquil stretches of emerald backwaters, misty mountains and diverse tropical fauna and flora has become a sure shot winning combo for Kerala in tourist circuits.
Kerala Tourism got a boost when a million strong users of the famous travel portal, SmartTravelAsia.com, placed the state as the best Asian holiday destination of their choice. The “Best in Travel poll 2010’ carried out by an independent online travel magazine Smart Travel Asia conducted between May and July in Asia (India, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and the Middle East), Europe and North America, saw the emergence of Kerala as the best Asian tourist destination.
The poll was mainly based on on ‘aspirational” brands and travel trends in the region.Bali and Phuket were voted as second and third most favourite holiday destinations in Asia and the only other India tourist places that made their way to the top 10 list were Rajasthan and Goa at eighth and tenth spot respectively.
“This is phenomenal recognition for the state and the people who are in the tourism sector, delivering an inspirational experience. Keralites should feel very proud of their contribution to this fantastic international achievement”, says Secretary, Kerala Tourism, V. Venu. The awards are unique because they single out not just popular places but truly exceptional places that enthrall travellers and keep them coming back, he added.
Travelers voted Kerala based on their travel experience and information they sourced from ads and PR apart from word of mouth publicity. Voters also polled in 12 categories including Asia’s best business hotels, luxury resorts, spas, destinations, business cities, shopping spots, and the world’s best airlines and airports.
So, in case you have not been to God’s own country.’ pack your bags and get ready for an out of the world holiday experience.
