DRThiruvananthapuram: Yoga Ambassador Tour is all set to begin here on June 14 with an aim to propagate Kerala as a global destination. Around 60-plus Yoga professionals from across the world will be a part of the tour.
ATTOI (Association of Tourism Trade Organisations, India), in association with Ministry of Ayush and Kerala Tourism, is organising the tour, which is first-of-its-kind in the world.
Kerala is believed to be the birthplace of yoga and the ‘Muniyara dolmens’, which are 4000-5000 years old, are considered to be the remains of the Neolithic Age. The 10-day educational tour is being conducted as part of the various programmes organised by the ministry on the International Yoga Day.
Yoga Tour operators, Wellness Magazine professionals, and Yoga Teachers from across the world are being invited for familiarising the global audience about Kerala and it’s rich heritage. The Yoga Ambassadors were selected by a team of experts based on specific criteria and experience.
The Yoga Ambassador Tour will commence on June 14 from Thiruvananthapuram and will conclude on June 21, on the International Yoga Day, in Kochi. Yoga Ambassador’s Tour will be inaugurated by Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister of State, (I/C), Ministry of AYUSH, at the Leela Raviz at 9 am.
Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Government of Kerala, will deliver the keynote address. Shashi Tharoor MP, M Vincent MLA, Ranjith Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ayush Ministry; Rani George, Secretary, Kerala Tourism; P Balakiran IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism; R Rahul, Director, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC); E M Najeeb, Vice President, IATO; Baby Mathew, President, Kerala Travel Mart; Anish Kumar P K,President, ATTOI; and Jafar Malik, Additional Director, Kerala Tourism, will also be present.
International Yoga Conference
The team will participate in an International Yoga Conference chaired by Dr Krishna Sharma, Head of Mangaluru University. Sesssion on Philosophical Foundations of Yoga will be chaired by Dr. Krishna Sharma, Professor, Department of Yoga, Mangalore University.
Dr. B R Sharma from Kaivalyadhama, Lonavla, will speak about Yoga in ancient scriptures whereas Dr. Yogi Sivan will explain about Hatha Yoga Parampara and Dr Alwar, Professor of Nyaya, Maharaja Sanskrit College, Mysore, will talk about Yoga in Darshanas.
The second session, Science Behind Yoga, will be chaired by Dr. M V Bhole, former Joint Director (Research), Kaivalyadhama and Yogi Jayadevan, Universal Yoga Consciousness, Ollur, Kerala.
Dr. Naveen K V, Director, FAITHS, Bengaluru, will speak about Psychoneuroimmunology and Yoga, Dr. Meena Ramanathan, Deputy Director, CYTER, SBV, Pondicherry, and Dr. Shivarama Varambally, Professor of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, will speak about Yoga Therapy. The sessions will be followed by a cultural evening.
Itinerary
On June 15, the yoga Ambassadors will have an excursion tour and an interactive session on yoga at Sivananda Ashram at Neyyar before proceeding to Kanyakumari. The Yoga Ambassadors will visit Amritapuri (the abode of Mata Amrithanandamayi) on June 16 and head to Alappuzha to experience the much-famed houseboat ride in the backwaters.
The team will reach Thekkady on June 17 and will have a hands-on experience in Kalaripayattu, the traditional martial artform of Kerala. After visiting Aranya Nivas on June 18, the team will head to the misty hills of Munnar, where they will visit the Munnar Muniyara dolmens on June 19, followed by a cultural night and dinner hosted by Munnar Destination Makers.
On June 20, the team will reach Kochi, where they will experience a sunset cruise in Kochi backwaters. On the World Yoga Day, the team will participate in Mass Yoga Drill at the Kochi Marriott in Edappally and will visit the Mattancherry Dutch Palace and the Jewish Synagogue. The team will meet the tourism stakeholders during a networking dinner where ‘Little Chef’ Kicha will be hounoured. A cultural performance by actress and dancer Navya Nair will mark the culmination of the tour.
Promoting Kerala as a Yoga Destination
Kerala has been long promoted as an Ayurveda and Wellness destination. However, the possibilities of yoga still remain largely untapped. It is in this context that ATTOI has proposed the Yoga Ambassador’s Tour in a bid to promote Kerala as a global destination for yoga. With Ayurveda and Wellness centres and the lush green locales, Kerala is set to be the perfect destination for a rejuvenating trip once yoga tourism also comes into picture.
Eying 15 per cent Growth in 2018
Kerala aims 15 per cent increase in tourist footfalls in the current financial year. Tourist arrivals to the state in the last year saw a growth of 10.94 per cent. The Tourism Department is planning to promote Kerala as a 365-day destination. With the launch of Lulu Bolgatty Convention Centre in Kochi, the state is also poised to grow as a sought-after MICE destination. Domestic tourists are mostly arriving from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal and New Delhi.
International tourists from the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Ireland are the major contributors to Kerala Tourism. Of late, US, Canada, Gulf, South East Asia travellers have also started flocking to the God’s Own Country. Tourism sector constitutes around 10 per cent of Kerala’s GDP and contributes around 11.19 per cent to the direct employment in the State.
