India's Kerala Tourism Announces WhatsApp Chatbot

Kerala Tourism, which services the state of Kerala on India's tropical Malabar Coast on the Arabian Sea, has launched a 24x7 WhatsApp chatbot named Maya. The bot is designed to help visitors easily get information and updates about attractions within the state.

According to Kerala Tourism, Maya will serve as a virtual travel assistant, fielding travelers' queries and helping tourists access information for a hassle-free travel experience. That chatbot will offer information about experience-oriented locations, historical sites, eco-tourism, and arts and culture hubs. It will also provide details about local food and festivals, visa information, weather updates and COVID-19 protocols. The bot will also offer links to official Kerala Tourism social media pages.

"The chatbot service, which leverages the potential of technology for tourism development, will help attract more tourists to Kerala," said P A Mohamed Riyas, Kerala tourism minister. "The tourists can easily access a whole lot of information regarding the prime attractions in each place, our cultural diversity, culinary traditions of different regions and the routes and means for transport to reach various places."

Kerala is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India, offering beaches, lakes, waterfalls and mountain ranges as well as ancient ports and palaces. The state is known for ecotourism and is home to a wide variety of birds as well as elephants, langur monkeys and tigers. Tourism based on the Ayurveda alternative medicine system has also become increasingly popular in the past few decades.

Travelers who wish to use the Maya chatbot can access it by sending "Hi" to WhatsApp no: 7510512345 or by scanning the QR code.

Edited by Maurice Nagle