Yoga Ambassadors Tour 2018 (14 – 22 June)

Yoga Ambassador Tour is a specialised familiarisation trip for established & practising yoga professionals from around the world to have a first-hand experience of Kerala, the southern state of India, the country proud to be known as the birth place of Yoga. This 10 day educational tour of Kerala as part of Yoga Ambassador Tour will not only showcase the varied product range of Kerala but also gives an opportunity to the delegates to engage in various yoga based activities. The tour will be coming to an end on 21st JUN’18 which eventually is the International Yoga Day, and the delegates would also be getting a chance to participate in mass yoga drill. The tentative programme schedule as under.

 

Day01 / Jun13“Namaste”…Atithi Devo Bhava (The guest is equivalent to God)

Meet and Assist you at Trivandrum International Airport on arrival and proceed to your pre booked Hotel /Resort.

Trivandrum is the Capital City of Kerala (God’s Own Country), Referred by Mahatma Gandhi as the “Evergreen City of India”. The City is ranked among the best cities to live in India. Warm Welcome you at your Hotel/Resort Check-in and Overnight stay.

 

Day02 /Jun140700:Breakfast at respective hotels

0815: Pickup from hotel to Leela Convention Center

0830: Registration

0930: Grand Inaugural of the “Yoga Ambassador tour” first of its kind in the World. Lighting the Lamp by Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State (IC), Ministry of Ayush, Govt. Of India.

 

1030: Technical Session I – Philosophical Foundations of Yoga

Chairperson: Prof. V. Purandara Reddy,Dean, Faculty of Darsanas, Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Tirupati

Co-Chairman: Dr. Krishna Sharma, Professor, Department of Yoga, Mangalore University

Speakers:

Dr. B.R. Sharma

Kaivalyadhama, Lonavla

Yoga in ancient scriptures
Yogi Shivan

Teacher, Healer, Yoga Exponent, INDIMASY (yoga Village) Trivandrum

Hatha Yoga Parampara
Dr. Alwar,

Professor of Nyaya, Maharaja Sanskrit College, Mysore

Yoga in Darshanas

1300: Technical Session I Ends – Lunch Break

 

1400: Technical Session II – Science Behind Yoga

Chairperson: Dr. M.V. Bhole, Former Jt. Director (Research), Kaivalyadhama.

Co-Chairman: Yogi Jayadevan, Universal Yoga Consciousness, Ollur, Kerala
Speakers:

Dr. Naveen K.V., Director, FAITHS, Bengaluru.

 

Psycho-neuro-immunology and Yoga
Dr Meena Ramanathan, Deputy Director, CYTER, SBV, Pondicherry

 

Yoga Therapy: Its principles & practices
Dr. Shivarama Varambally, Professor of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bengaluru.Yoga for Mental Health – A neuroscientific perspective

1700: Technical Session II ends

1800: Cultural Programme

1900: Dinner

2100: Wishing you all “Subharathri” (Goodnight)

 

Day03 /Jun150545: Wakeup Call

0615: Assemble at Hotel Lobby for transfer to Leela Convention Centre
0630: Reach Leela Convention Centre & prepare yourself for Yoga

0700: Common Yoga Protocol

0800: Back to respective hotels& Breakfast

0900: Assemble at Lobby

0915: Proceed to Sivananda Ashram for an excursion tour and interactive session on yoga.

1200: Lunch Break

1300: Proceed to Kanyakumari.

1530: Visit Vivekananda Rock by specially arranged Boat, Visit Meditation Hall.

1600: Proceed to Thiruvalluvar Statue (or the Valluvar Statue, is a 133-feet tall stone sculpture of the Tamil poet and philosopher Tiruvalluvar, author of the Tirukkural, an ancient Tamil work on secular ethics and morality)by boat.

1630: Visit Vivekananda Ashram &Exhibition Centre

1730: Return back to Kovalam

2030: Arrive at Uday Samudra Hotel, Kovalam for Dinner
2200: Transfer to respective hotels

2230: Shubharathri

 

Day04 /Jun160545: Wakeup Call

0615: Assemble at Hotel Lobby for transfer to Uday Samudra Resort
0630: Reach Uday Samudra & prepare yourself for Yoga

0700: Common Yoga Protocol

0800: Back to respective hotels& Breakfast

0845: Bags Out

0900: Check out & drive to Amritapuri Ashram, home of Mata Amritanandamayi Amma

1100: Reach Ashram for a short visit & see around

1200: Depart to Alappuzha to board Houseboat for an unforgettable trip through the canals of Kerala Backwaters towards Kumarakom
1400: Board Houseboat & Lunch (Sadhya) will be served on board.
Sadhya: Captivating taste buds. Kerala has always had its glory of treating its people with irresistible delicacies. Among the many mouth-watering foods that it offers, Sadhya stands high on top with pride due to its magnificence and divinity.

1700: Reach Lake Song Resort, Kumarakom

1800: Cultural Programs

1900: Dinner

2100: Transfer to respective hotel & check in

2130: Shubharathri

 

Day05/ Jun170545: Wakeup Call

0615: Assemble at Hotel Lobby for transfer to Zuri Resort
0630: Reach Zuri& prepare yourself for Yoga

0700: Common Yoga Protocol

0800: Back to respective hotels& Breakfast

0845: Bags Out

0900: Check out and proceed to Thekkady by Coach.

(Thekkady– a land full of spice plantations and South India’s most popular wildlife sanctuary called PeriyarWildlife Sanctuary. Spread out over an area of 777 sq km, the sanctuary boasts of a splendid artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar dam across the Periyar river, which adds to the charm of the park)
1300: Lunch at Forest Canopy Resort, Thekkady
1430: Check in at respective hotels

1730: Assemble at the lobby & transfer to the venue of the cultural programme
and dinner hosted by Thekkady Destination Promotion Council (TDPC).
2100: Return to pre booked Hotels
2130: Shubharathrii

Day06/ Jun180515: Wakeup Call

0600: Assemble at Hotel Lobby for transfer to AranyaNivas Resort
0615: Board Boat to Lake Palace Resort, Thekkady
0630: Reach Lake Palace& prepare yourself for Yoga

0700: Common Yoga Protocol

0800: Breakfast

0845: Boating & transfer back to AranyaNivas Resort
0930: Transfer to respective hotels
1015: Bags out
1030: Check out & proceed to Munnar
1130: Stop at Periyar Spices Plantation for a familiarization walk.
1230: Proceed to Munnar
1300: Stop at Carmelia Haven Resort for Lunch
1430: Depart to Munnar

1830: Reach Munnar and Check in at Hotel (Munnar is situated at around 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. Munnar is called “Kashmir of South India” Munnar was the summer capital of the British in southern India. Munnar was developed to cultivate tea plants by British although it was first discovered by Scottish planters. Munnar is located at the confluence of three mountain streams Mudra puzha, Nallathanni and Kundala.)

2030: Dinner at respective Hotels

2130: Shubharathri

Day07/ Jun190600: Wakeup call
0630:
Assemble at Yoga area & prepare yourself0700: Common Yoga Protocolat respective hotels0800: Breakfast0845: Bags Out0900: Check Out from Hotel

1000: Proceed to Visit Muniyara Dolmens and Meditation (The Muniyara Dolmensare magnificent prehistoric dolmens, situated in Chinnakanal. Belongs to the Neolithic Age, these aboveground burial chambers are built with large stone slabs and are called ‘megaliths.’ The historians keep special interest in these granite slabs as they are more than thousand years old. A lot of anthropologists and archaeologists from all over the world visit this fascinating destination to explore the remnants of Dolmenoid cists belonging to the Megalithic age.

1130: Drive to Munnar City, visit Lock Heart Tea Estate and Srishti NGO.

1330: Proceed for Lunchby Showcase Munnar at Eastend Premium Hotel, Munnar

1500: Check in at Respective hotels

1800: Assemble at Hotel Lobby for transfer to Blanket Resort & Spa for Cultural Program &Dinner by Munnar Destination Makers (MDM)

2100: Transfer back to respective hotels

2130: Shubharathri

 

Day08/ Jun200500: Wakeup Call
0545:
Bags out
0600:
Check out & transfer to Yoga Location
0630:
Arrive at Yoga Location (Panoramic Gateway Helipad)& prepare yourself for Yoga0700: Common Yoga Protocol0800: Transfer to Munnar Tea Country Resort forBreakfast0930:Depart to Ernakulam (Kochi)1330: Lunch at BTH Sarovar

1430: Proceed to Check in to your Pre bookedHotels (Kochi also known as Cochin, Called the Queen of the Arabian Sea, Kochi was an important spice trading centre on the west coast of India from the 14th century onward, and maintained a trade network with Arab merchants from the pre-Islamic era. Occupied by the Portuguese in 1503, Kochi was the first of the European colonies in colonial India. It remained the main seat of Portuguese India until 1530. Cochin is a major port city on the south-west coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulum in the state of Kerala and is often referred to as Ernakulum.)

1630: Assemble at Hotel lobby. Depart for Sunset Cruise

1700: Sunset cruise of the Kochi backwaters.
1830: Drop back at Taj Malabar Hotel for Cultural evening & Dinner

2100: Transfer back to respective hotels

2130: Shubharathri

Day09/ Jun21
0530: Wakeup Call

0600: Transfer to Marriott Hotel, Kochi

0630: Arrive & prepare yourself for Yoga

0700: Mass Drill Yoga – Common Yoga Protocol (World Yoga Day)

0830: Transfer back to hotels

0930: Breakfast

1200: Lunch

1300: Assemble at Lobby & drive to Fort Kochi

1330: Visit Mattancherry Dutch Palace, Jewish Synagogue and Fort Cochin

1600: Transfer to Marriot Hotel
1700 – 1900: Networking with Kerala Travel Trade
1900 – 2000: Cultural Program
2000 – 2200: Dinner

2200: Transfer back to respective hotels

2300: Shubharathri

Day10/ Jun220730: Breakfast

0830: Say Time to “Shubhayathra”(Goodbye), Time to Catch your Destination Flight.

Svastiprajabhyamparipalayanthamnyayeanamargenamahimmaheesah
Gobrahmanebhyashubamsthunityamlokahsamasthasukhinobhavanthu.”

(”May all beings everywhere be free,
May the kings rule the earth along the right path;
May all beings be happy and free from suffering.
May all the beings in all the worlds become happy;
Peace, peace, and peace be everywhere!”)

 

Kerala’s first complete, dedicated travel portal launched

Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran launches the state’s first complete and dedicated, travel and tourism news portal, Tourism News Live.

“Tourism News Live would be able to resist and fight against the negativities that are spread against the God’s own country,” said Kadakampally Surendran while inaugurating the launch function of Tourism News Live web portal.

“The false propaganda of people with vested interests is tarnishing the image of the state, especially that of the tourism sector. It is very important to fight against these issues. It is in this context that the state’s first complete, dedicated travel portal Tourism News Live is getting launched,” said the minister adding that he has complete trust on the portal.

The multi-lingual travel portal, www.tourismnewslive.com, was launched at a function held today at Hotel South Park in Thiruvananthapuram.

“ATTOI is planning to promote Kerala as a yoga destination. We are committed to promote a positive picture of Kerala,” said Anish Kumar, President, ATTOI. “Four lakh employment should happen in the tourism sector in the next five years’ time. Lot of infrastructure development has to take place, which will help the tourist inflow,” said CKTI Chairman, E M Najeeb. “The decision to start Tourism Regulatory Authority, which was announced in the Assembly today by the Governor, is a good move,” said Baby Mathew Somatheeram, President, KTM who also said that the tourism fraternity is looking forward to all the innovative projects the ministry has put forward to help the sector grow.

Trivandrum Press Club President, G Rajiv, Kerala Working Journalists Union Trivandrum Dirstrict President Suresh Vellimangalam were also present at the function.

ATTOI (Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India) -the professional association in the tour and travel industry are the operators behind Tourism News Live.Tourism News Live includes latest news relating in tourism industry, travel alerts to travellers, travelogues, photo and video explanations. Live update his are available on http://www.facebook.com/tourismnewslive and http://www.twitter.com/tourismnewslive

 

International Conference on Travel Technology 2017 held @ Cochin

This conference is to prepare the travel and tourism industrialists in India and neighboring countries to understand the importance of web marketing, how to use the resources available online to drive business, get inputs in adapting to the changing technology and acquiring skills to beat the competition.

Motivational Training Program (on 4th july 2009)

Motivational Training Program at Magic Days, Trivandrum for the executives in the hospitality industry.

 

Unprecedented Industry Alliance in Kerala to Light Up India’s Tourism Calendar in 2016

Navaratana ‘Experiessential’ Holidays offer 99 experiences in 9 days; A total of 500 tour packages to be offered in first phase

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 11: First it was the Kerala Travel Mart. Now, nearly two decades after they came together to launch the country’s only travel trade show by a state, tour operators in ‘God’s Own Country’ will team up once again to create a consortium to sell an unprecedented 500 packages for visitors to the state.

The highlight of the packages, called Navaratana Experiessential Holidays, is a nine ‘gem-like’ days of essential experiences in Kerala, including an insight into village life, community interactions and promotion of sustainable tourism practices.

Tourism Minister Shri A P Anilkumar handing over the first copy of Navaratana ‘Experiessential
brochure to reputed tour operator and travel writer from Sweden, Ms Marianne Hard Af Stegarstad.
ATTOI president Shri Anish Kumar P K and Kerala Tourism Shri Jyothilal are also seen

 

Tourists will be able to launch their holidays by breaking a coconut at a temple, a traditional method in Kerala of making an auspicious beginning. They could also travel in boats on the state’s iconic lakes and rivers with the local people, and eat the mouthwatering lunch with a Syrian Christian Orthodox family of central Kerala. The more adventurous will also be able to climb the coconut trees, do fishing in the lakes or make coir with village women.

The first phase of packages by the consortium, Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI), targeted at foreign tourists was launched by Kerala Tourism Minister Shri A P Anilkumar today and the package is uploaded on ATTOI website https://www.attoi.org/navaratna.html. It will be followed by another phase of packages for domestic tourists.

“The public-private partnership in our state’s tourism sector has been demonstrating to the world the huge benefits in working together. The new alliance of tour operators in Kerala is yet another example of the commitment to promote tourism and contribute to the growth of all sections of the society,” he added.

“The initiative also underlines the determination to continue to serve our esteemed guests from all over the world and present them with life-changing experiences in our state,” the Minister said.

“The state government’s plan allocation to the tourism fund has been increased from Rs 100 Crores to Rs 225 Crores in the course of five years. This will be further increased in the coming budget session,” said the minister.

Shri Anilkumar launched the Navaratana ‘Experiessential’ Holidays package by handing over the first copy of the package brochure to reputed tour operator and travel writer from Sweden, Ms Marianne Hard Af Stegarstad.

The finer elements of the industry consortium by ATTOI involve the coming together of hotels, tour operators and vendors at each destination.

“It is the first time in India that tour operators are gathering under one umbrella for joint promotion of a package,” Shri Anilkumar said.

The move is expected to support the industry partners.

“It is not only a product updating for Kerala, coming out of the same old repeated itineraries and products, but a step that will help rebrand Kerala as a “new destination” and overcome competition from other destinations,” the Minister added.

The Navaratana ‘Experiessential’ Holidays ensure a feeling of freshness through hands-on experience of the “real Kerala” of superficial holidays. Local interactions and highlighting the unique traditions and life style of Kerala are the other components of the package.

“Coming out of the comforts of the hotel room and car and to taking a plunge into the Kerala life is the motto of the new packages,” said Kerala Tourism Secretary Shri Jyothilal.

“The new campaign currently covers places in Southern Kerala. We will further include destinations in Northern Kerala as well,” the Secretary added.

ATTOI president Shri Anish Kumar P K, who was present on the occasion, said it was a collective and focused effort to promote the destination.

“The Navaratana ‘Experiessential’ Holidays is going to redefine the way we see Kerala with 99 unique experiences in nine days,” Shri Kumar said.

The Navaratana ‘Experiessential’ Holidays also envisage interactive cooking demonstrations to experience Kerala’s famous culinary culture, eating dosa at local restaurants, having coffee with a Brahmin family to echo the tradition of ‘Agraharam’ visits, walks through the wavy, lush green paddy fields, and bullock cart rides.

A tour of the Muziris heritage project reviving Kerala’s more than two-millennia-old trade and cultural ties with the rest of the world will be another attraction of the packages.

The packages will also include insights into the state’s time-tested tradition of Ayurveda and full body massages. Jungle boat safari, backwater cruises on houseboats and tea factory visits will be the other highlights.

South Kerala Hoteliers’ Forum President Shri Chacko Paul and ATTOI Secretary Shri Sreekumara Menon also attended the function.

ATTOI Tourism Achiever of the Year Award 2010 on 01-10-2010 at Muscot Hotel, Trivandrum

ATTOI has emerged to be one of the leading travel organizations today for being an organization with a cause – a cause to improve the tourism experience – both for the stakeholders and the clients alike. Apart from creating a platform with proactive members coming together, ATTOI has been aggressive in conducting road shows at Malaysia, Kolkata and the next one slated to be held at Singapore in February. The primary motive being to bring tourists into India; at the same time to take the travel loving Indians to various parts of the world.

ATTOI apart from being business focused is also a key player in enhancing the client experience by contributing its expertise in bring together various elements of tourism. ATTOI understands the need of quality players in the trade who are instrumental in promoting tourism; more than anything ATTOI understand the need of recognizing the “unsung hero’s” of our trade. Individuals who have stood out from the rest in not only bringing in a radical change in thinking, but also in making this a movement by doing things right”.

ATTOI decided to recognize one such persona in the Kerala tourism fraternity who was able to bring about a drastic change not only in Kerala but across the India due to which his organization and Kerala got recognized the world over. One of the pioneers in the travel trade who brought in a big difference to Kerala Tourism scenario and the way tourist look at Kerala is the group CGH Earth. ATTOI chose to recognize the man behind this movement for his contribution in the conservation of our bio diversity through sustainable environmental protection practices.

ATTOI organized a hi-tea at Trivandrum at Mascot hotel on Nov 1st to recognize this “Green Visionary”. ATTOI’s TOURISM ACHIEVER AWARD 2010 was presented to Jose Domenic, CEO CGH EARTH group for his commendable leadership in practicing eco friendly activities in tourism. Being a visionary is in itself a great quality, but pursuing it and ensuring that the vision is implemented, practiced are traits of great mean. He has pioneered in using local technologies and traditional practices in all his resorts. CGH has shown the world that it’s easy to practice what you preach if you are committed to the cause. They have also shown as to how “thinking green” has become a way of life at each of their property.

Hon’ble Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan presented the award, Benny Thomas Joint Secretary ATTOI welcomed the gathering, ATTOI President VSK Menon presided over the function, KTDC Chairman Cheriyan Philip, Dr.Venu IAS Secretary Tourism, EM Najeeb member IATO, Chacko Paul President SKHF felicitated, Aneesh Honorary secretary ATTOI gave the vote of thanks

The function was followed by high tea and interaction of tour operators. The grand evening concluded with ATTOI’s renewal of its commitment to bring more “unsung heroes” closer to masses

Annual General Body Meeting 2011, Bengaluru

Annual General Body Meeting 2011, Bengaluru

ATTOI – Tourism Man of the Year Award 2011

ATTOI – Tourism Man of the Year Award 2011

Annual General Body Meeting 2012

Annual General Body Meeting 2012

International Conference on Travel Technology 2013

International Conference on Travel Technology 2013