Reaffirming the success of its strategy to connect with travellers through digital mediums, Kerala Tourism today walked away with the coveted PATA Gold Award 2025 for the Most Engaging Social Media Campaign.
Minister for Tourism and Public Works Shri P. A. Mohamed Riyas received the prestigious honour at a glittering Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) award ceremony in Bangkok this evening, marked by the convergence of top tourism sector stakeholders from around the world.
Smt. Sreedhanya Suresh IAS, Additional Director (General), Kerala Tourism, was also present at the event.
The PATA Gold Awards 2025 ceremony and the gala dinner were hosted on the sidelines of the PATA Travel Mart at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok.
The PATA awards honour exceptional achievements in the travel and tourism industry in the Asia-Pacific region. The awards were judged by a distinguished panel of 25 independent experts.
“Kerala Tourism’s efforts to engage domestic and international tourists on the diversity of Kerala’s tourist destinations through innovative and trending online content have yielded a massive response, and this award is a shining recognition of our efforts in that direction,” said Shri Riyas after receiving the award.
This is not the first time that Kerala has been bestowed with the PATA Gold Award, which celebrates success stories in sustainable and inclusive tourism development, the Minister added.
Earlier, the Kerala Pavilion was formally inaugurated by Shri Nagesh Singh, Ambassador of India to Thailand.
Trade partners Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resort and Trip N Stay Holidays were part of the Kerala Pavilion.
The meme-based digital makeover of Kerala Tourism, blending humour, cultural relevance, and storytelling, has received widespread online engagement.
With a cross-platform rollout across Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, the campaign generated a reach of over 1.2 million and more than 89,700 engagements, while also driving user-generated content, influencer collaborations, and viral success through relatable, Kerala-rooted humour.
By turning traditional promotion into a two-way conversation, it showcased Kerala’s natural beauty and traditions and also set a new benchmark for interactive tourism marketing in the Asia-Pacific region.
Founded in 1951, PATA is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from, and within the Asia-Pacific region.
