THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The tenth edition of the Kerala Travel Mart will be held from September 27 to 30 at Kochi.The four-day event will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Bolgatty Island. Unlike previous editions, the latest edition will give thrust on the promotion of Malabar tourism.
Addressing media persons, Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the tourism potential of the Malabar region was unexplored for the past several years and our government has decided to give emphasis on that front. “The Malabar region has a vast tourism potential. So we have decided to focus on the area this time. Apart from the Bekal Fort, we are proposing a Thalassery heritage project. Once the Kannur airport is operational this year, a good connectivity can be ensured to the Malabar region.
The Malabar cruise is one such event which focuses on nine rivers in northern Kerala.
The government has allotted Rs 3.5 crore for the project and its first phase has already started. KTM has been supporting the government and the upcoming event will be a gamechanger in the tourism sector in the state,” said Surendran. The KTM- 2018, to be organised in partnership with the Kerala Tourism, will conduct its business-to-business meetings at Samudrika and Sagar convention centres at Willingdon Island. In a statement, the officer-bearers of KTM said the meetings are expected to offer a spectrum of opportunities to key players in the sector to forge business linkages and spur the growth of the entire tourism industry. The pre-registration for the event has shown a surge in the number of buyers this year as compared to the previous year. According to Baby Mathew Somatheeram, the Chairman of KTM, it is a record.
“As of now, there are 350 international and 890 domestic buyers who have confirmed for the mega event and this year and there is more participation of international buyers from USA, Russia and its neighbouring countries,” he said. Over 300 stalls will be exhibited featuring an array of products, packages and services offered by businesses and entrepreneurs.
KTM officials said the registration of the sellers also has shown a spurt this year with the number increasing from 261 to 320. The pre-registration will close on July 28. Waste management and organic farming will be the agenda in the meetings.