The online hotel reservation system of Kerala Tourism is set in for a major expansion with the preparation of a strong database of around 4,500 trade partners. Launched in mid-2009, the system currently has around 200 service providers and more trade partners would join the initiative with the expansion put in place. The system has already proved to be a success with thousands of travelers availing of the facility within a short span of time.
The online accommodation reservation system offers travelers a wide range of choices from five-star hotels to homestays in remote corners of the State. Around twenty-five thousand rooms in Destination Kerala at various destinations, including Alappuzha, Kumarakom, Munnar, Periyar, Wayanad, Kochi and Kozhikode are available for reservation through the system.
With this facility, rooms can be booked online any time by visiting http://www.keralatourism.org. The booking can be done by using major credit cards, debit cards; through net banking and other facilities like Pay Pal. The specialty of the online reservation platform is that the payment made for reservation goes directly to the account of the property owner.
Search facility
The search facility in the reservation system enables visitors to make quick choices in simple steps. The two types of search options viz. Simple Search and Advanced Search enable visitors to find out the most suitable choice in a matter of seconds.
?Initiatives like the online reservation system aims at providing travelers a complete holiday experience with least hassles and formalities,?? says Dr Venu V., Secretary, Kerala Tourism. Over the years, Kerala Tourism has become an active facilitator to the industry, rather than staying as an onlooker, he said.
M. Sivasankar, Director, Kerala Tourism attributes the success of the online reservation facility to the whole-hearted support of trade partners. ?The spirit of the travel and tour industry in the State to avail of modern technologies has always helped Destination Kerala to move ahead of times,? he said.