As a brand and destination, Karnataka's popularity has grown, according to two recent tourism-related surveys. A study conducted to measure marketing effectiveness on Internet, puts Karnataka Tourism's Web site in the sixth position in the country, from last year's 13{+t}{+h} rank.

On the other hand, the India State Ranking Survey 2011, Karnataka is now ranked fourth as a tourist destination in India.

In 2009, the State was ranked 12{+t}{+h}. “The State's growth as a brand and destination is being attributed to greater exposure in established and growing tourism markets across the world,” said a press note from the state tourism department. The study also attributes the success to the brand's online presence.

According to Mr Viswanatha Reddy, Director - Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, the State managed to achieve this with merely two short bursts of mass media communication.

As a direct result of these bursts of communication, compared to just about 20,000 site visits between April and August 2010, September to March saw more than 5.5 lakh visitors to the Karnataka Tourism Web site, he pointed out. 

By creating awareness about the cultural heritage, natural resources and tradition of Karnataka, the State aims to open a whole new horizon for the international traveling community to reach out to.

And that makes Karnataka, in the coming years, a destination to reckon with, the release said.