Kochi: Ben Fischer always wanted to visit Kerala and experience its backwaters, which he had seen in videos and photographs of friends who raved about their holiday to God’s Own Country. So, the 60-year-old German was thrilled to be given a tour of his dream destination at Delhi airport, where a Virtual Reality (VR) headset was strapped onto his eyes transporting him 2,000 km away to the tranquil waters of Alappuzha in Kerala.

The VR platform set up by Kerala Tourism kiosk at the Delhi airport gives tourists a cruising experience on a life-size ‘kettuvallam’ (houseboat). The host of the experience is none other than Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran. The two-minute film shot in 360 degree technology with six cameras simultaneously gives visitors to the kiosk a true feel of the backwaters, with conversations of the locals and a view of the beautiful sunset.

“The stall will remain open till December 12, after which, it will be moved to the Mumbai airport and later to other airports to promote Brand Kerala,” said Kerala Tourism Director UV Jose.
The visitors can tweet their experience with the hashtag #Greatbackwaters and a dispensing machine rewards the tweeters with a picturesque postcard.