ISSN 2348-1218 (print) International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations ISSN 2348-1226 (online) Vol. 8, Issue 2, pp: (74-80), Month: April - June 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com
Social Media and Big Data for Marketing Medical Tourism in Thiruvananthapuram Sankar S., Dr R. Kannan Centre for Tourism and Hotel Management Madurai Kamaraj University Madurai
Abstract: Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala is blessed with abundant natural beauty. It is flanked by the Western Ghats on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other. It is one of the top international tourism destinations in India. Thiruvananthapuram has also got good healthcare infrastructure. But it is not among the top 5 healthcare tourism destinations in India. Thiruvananthapuram is also home to the oldest and largest software technology park in India. By tapping into the local IT ecosystem, Healthcare Tourism in Thiruvananthapuram can leverage technological advancements to improve its standing. This paper looks at two ICT developments – Social Media and Big Data Analytics, that can be utilized for marketing Thiruvananthapuram as a Healthcare destination and to continuously improve its prospects. Keywords: Social Media, Big Data, Analytics, Thiruvananthapuram, Medical Tourism.
I. INTRODUCTION Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, is blessed with natural beauty. The Thiruvananthapuram district lies in between the Arabian Sea in the West and the Western Ghats on the East. Thiruvananthapuram is home to the internationally renowned beaches of Kovalam and Varkala, and also the hill station of Ponmudy. Thiruvananthapuram also has many other beautiful beaches, backwaters and waterfalls. There are also trekking destinations. Being the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore, it is dotted with heritage monuments like palaces, forts, and museums. Thiruvananthapuram is one of the most sought after tourism destinations. Foreign tourists have been flocking to the Kovalam and Varkala beaches every year. Thiruvananthapuram accounts for a major share of the tourists visiting Kerala. The foreign tourist arrival to Thiruvananthapuram over the period 2006-2015 is shown in Figure 1. It can be seen that the foreign tourist arrivals to Thiruvananthapuram have been growing every year except for a blip in 2009, which could be attributed to the global recession [14]. Thiruvananthapuram is also a major attraction for domestic tourists. Thiruvananthapuram also has excellent medical facilities in the government and private sectors. These healthcare facilities offer specialized treatments under allopathy, Ayurveda, homoeopathy, and other traditional Indian medical systems. Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, founded in 1951, is the oldest Medical College in Kerala [9]. Thiruvananthapuram is also home to the 125 years old Government Ayurveda College Hospital [5]. Ayurveda College Hospital has a separate campus for the Panchakarma institute in Thiruvananthapuram. Panchakarma treatment deals with purificatory treatments for the body. Ayurveda panchakarma treatment attracts a lot of medical tourists. There is also a Government Homoeopathy College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. In addition to these, there are many wellequipped privately run super specialty hospitals situated in Thiruvananthapuram.
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