DRKochi: A spirited Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), a major travel event of the country, was held in Kochi recently. It has once again displayed the State’s resolve to take important steps to provide the much-needed fillip to its tourism sector, one of the major pillars supporting the economy, which has been hit hard by the unprecedented floods. Inaugurating the tenth edition of KTM, Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, emphasised the importance of safeguarding the ecology of prime destinations and promoting Responsible Tourism. “We are duty-bound to preserve and protect nature. A place develops itself into a Responsible Tourism centre when stakeholders and the local community join hands,” he added.
Bounty of national awards add to overall spirit; plans to revive flood-hit areas and leverage technology to draw tourists dominate plans
Plans to reinvent the State’s decade-old Responsible Tourism, update customised packages, strengthen tools of publicity, broaden the tourism map and deck up heritage spots to woo more travellers to Kerala were unveiled at the four-day event. Chief Guest K J Alphons, Union Minister of State for Tourism (I/C), said the post-flood ‘resurrection’ of Kerala has had no parallels anywhere in the world. “Kerala is again ready to receive tourists. The State should concentrate on the Chinese market as we are getting far less number of tourists from that country.”
Kadakampally Surendran, Minister of Tourism, Kerala who presided over the ceremony, said KTM symbolises Kerala’s resilience and the spirit of harmony and togetherness of the State’s people. “I thank the tourism trade across the world for standing with us and being a beacon of hope in our darkest hour,” he noted.
The inaugural ceremony saw the presence of an array of administrators and bureaucrats besides entrepreneurs and top functionaries from the field of travel and tourism. The event which began with cultural programmes featured multi-ethnic art forms, predominantly from Malabar in north Kerala.
KTM organisers said that KTM-2018 has earned a special place in the State’s tourism sector. “It is historic, coming as it is a month after the worst natural calamity our people faced,” said Rani George IAS, Secretary, Kerala Tourism, about the September 27-30 event that hosted 35,000 business meets involving 1,635 buyers (545 of them from 66 foreign countries). “I even wonder how our tourism sector would have gotten back on track but for this KTM edition coming at the right time,” she added.
KTM-2018 had 325 sellers in 400-odd stalls. Baby Mathew, President, KTM-2018 and Chairman, Somatheeram Ayurveda Group, noted that the event had 1090 domestic buyers shortlisted from 5000 applicants besides 545 foreign buyers shortlisted from 2000 applicants. “That shows the trust the world has in Kerala’s tourism,” he added.
P Bala Kiran IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism said that KTM-2018 has helped put a smile of hope on the faces of the tourism industry honchos in contrast to a general gloom that prevailed among its captains till a week ago. “This edition has proved that KTM is not a celebratory event, but a business meet,” he added. The KTM Society is considering a change of venue for its 2020 edition to a permanent location that will be spacious as well as plastic-free.
Middle East Keen on Ayurveda
After making inroads into the wellness markets of Germany and Russia, Kerala’s famed Ayurveda is now making its presence felt in the Middle East, wooing travellers from countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and the UAE in large numbers with a promise to offer the traditional holistic system of healing in a most authentic manner.
The sellers representing Ayurvedic hospitals and resorts at KTM-2018 said they have been witnessing a considerable rise in the number of tourists from the Middle East during the last five years. Baby Mathew said that in the last five years there has been a 30 per cent increase in the arrival of tourists from the Middle East. “It happened after we carried out campaigns there. It had not been done before. We organised wellness exhibitions at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai five years ago. Since then, there have been encouraging results,” he said adding that guests from Persian Gulf countries are now coming to Kerala for long-term treatments.
Dr. Kiran B Nair, MD, Vaidya Healthcare, Perumbavoor said, “It shows that things are on the brighter side. Most of them approach Ayurvedic physicians as their family doctors.”
