Kerala Tourist Spot Bot 🌴

Kerala Tourist Spot Bot is a Telegram bot designed to help users discover the hidden gems and popular tourist destinations of Kerala, also known as God’s Own Country. Built using the Telebot Python library, the bot provides users with curated travel information, including offbeat spots, famous landmarks, cultural experiences, and activity suggestions to make their Kerala exploration memorable.

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Problem Statement

While Kerala is renowned for its backwaters, beaches, and hill stations, many travelers miss out on hidden and lesser-known locations that showcase the state’s true charm. Common challenges include:

1. Lack of Local Knowledge: Tourists often rely on generic travel guides that skip unique spots.
2. Overcrowded Destinations: Popular tourist spots can get crowded, diminishing the experience.
3. Fragmented Information: Travelers spend hours researching destinations and activities.

The Kerala Tourist Spot Bot addresses these issues by providing instant, curated information about the best travel spots in Kerala, including hidden treasures and offbeat destinations, all accessible directly via Telegram.

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Features

1. Explore Hidden and Famous Tourist Spots

• Discover both well-known landmarks and lesser-explored locations in Kerala.
• Categorized recommendations based on user interests (e.g., beaches, hills, cultural sites).

2. Activity Suggestions

• Suggests activities like trekking, houseboat rides, cultural festivals, and more.

3. Location-Specific Recommendations

• Users can search for spots near specific districts or towns, e.g., Munnar or Alleppey.

4. Direct Navigation Links

• Provides Google Maps links for easy navigation to the spots.

5. User-Friendly Commands

• Simple and intuitive commands to interact with the bot.

6. Travel Tips and Guidance (Planned)

• Includes tips on local cuisine, best travel seasons, and must-pack essentials.

7. Customizable Itineraries (Planned)

• Generates day-wise travel plans based on user preferences.

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How It Works

1. Curated Travel Information:

   • Data is manually curated to ensure accurate and valuable recommendations.

2. Telegram Bot Interaction:

   • Users interact with the bot through a set of predefined commands, making navigation and discovery seamless.

3. Dynamic Suggestions:

   • Tailors recommendations based on user inputs like preferences, location, or activity type.

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Installation and Setup

Follow these steps to set up the Kerala Tourist Spot Bot:

1. Clone the Repository

git clone <repository_url>
cd kerala_tourist_spot_bot

2. Install Dependencies

Ensure you have Python installed, then install the required libraries:

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Create a Telegram Bot

• Start a chat with BotFather on Telegram.
• Use /newbot to create a bot and get your API Token.

4. Set Environment Variables

• Create a .env file in the project directory and add:

TELEGRAM_API_TOKEN=<your_telegram_api_token>

5. Run the Bot

python bot.py

Your bot is now live and ready to guide users through Kerala’s tourist spots!

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Technologies Used

• Python: Programming language for backend logic.
• Telebot: Python library for Telegram Bot API.
• Google Maps API (Planned):
  • To fetch real-time navigation and location data.
• SQLite (Planned):
  • To manage the database of tourist spots and activities.

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Contribution

Contributions to improve the bot are welcome! Follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your feature:

   git checkout -b feature-name

3. Commit your changes:

   git commit -m "Add feature-name"

4. Push your changes:

   git push origin feature-name

5. Open a pull request in the main repository.

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Roadmap

• Basic functionality for exploring destinations and activities.
• Add dynamic recommendations based on user preferences.
• Integrate Google Maps API for real-time location data.
• Implement a database for scalable information management.
• Add customizable travel itineraries.

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Acknowledgments

• Telebot: For providing a simple interface to build Telegram bots.
• Google Maps: For navigation and location support.
• Kerala Tourism: For being the inspiration behind the bot’s mission.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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Disclaimer

The Kerala Tourist Spot Bot is an independent project and is not affiliated with Kerala Tourism or any government organization. All recommendations are based on curated research and are intended for informational purposes only.