Kerala Tourism courts row after roping in YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra for tourism promotion
According to a reply by Kerala Tourism to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Tourism department made use of the services of 41 selected social media influencers for the promotion of the State. The 41 selected influencers also toured the State during the period between January 1 and May 21, 2025.
The invitation to Ms. Malhotra was extended by Kerala Tourism, and she had visited various tourist destinations in Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi, Alappuzha, and Munnar. The department had footed the bills for her stay and travel apart from the engagement rate fixed for availing her service.
For six days
According to a statement issued by the office of Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas on Sunday, she was part of the media familiarisation (FAM) trip conducted by Kerala Tourism, and she had stayed here for about six days between January 15 and 21, 2025. When Ms. Malhotra, with 392k followers on social media, was selected for the promotional tour by the empanelled marketing agencies, there was no case charged against her by any of the enforcement agencies in India.
To date, Kerala had made use of the services of over 500 vloggers during the last 15 years as part of tourism promotion campaigns like Blog Express, Keralam Kanam, My First Trip, Human by Nature, Land of Harmony, etc. Ms. Malhotra's service was also used by other States for promotional activities. The only thing Kerala Tourism could ensure during the time of selecting the social media influencers was that they were not charged with any cases during the time of selection.
'Thwarting progress'
The present controversy is aimed at thwarting the progress and reputation of Kerala as a safe, secure, and beautiful destination in the country, said the statement.
Earlier, an AI-generated picture of the grounded F-35B of the U.K. at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport used by the Kerala Tourism for the promotion of the State went viral on social media.
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