Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala tourism needed some good news after being hit by global recession and the Thekkady boat tragedy in September. It has got the pep with the National Geographic rating its backwaters as the world's 23rd best destination, giving the sector a reason to smile. State Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the rating by National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destinations has come as a shot in the arm for the industry. "We will make this new... full story