KOCHI: The influx of buyers and sellers from all over the country at the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) is a harbinger of good news to the tourism industry that is slowly regaining its balance. The KTM-2018 edition which concluded on Sunday saw 35,000 buyer-seller meets. Of these, 15,000 were delegates from foreign countries.
Baby Mathew, KTM-2018 president, said it has become clear to the outside world Kerala is indeed all set to do business. “The response for the mart was huge. We received so many requests for stall space. Hence, we are thinking about going in for a more spacious permanent venue from the next edition. It also will be a plastic-free event,” he said.
A lot of new projects were launched at KTM-2018. Some of the prominent ones are KSINC’s cruise ship ‘Nefertiti’, the Jatayu project, responsible tourism, Malabar River Cruise involving seven rivers in the region and the helicopter operations from Jatayu to different parts of the state, he added. According to Rani George, Tourism Secretary, KTM 2018 has changed the general perception of post-flood Kerala. “From the feedback I got from the buyers and sellers at the venue, it became clear people outside the state and also abroad no longer think the tourism industry has been crippled by the deluge. The cancellations which were to happen in the coming months will no longer happen now and it is a good sign,” she said.
What’s more, it has reinforced the spirit of Responsible Tourism that has completed a decade in Kerala, she said. “As part of the project, the government conducted surveys and identified some destinations in the flood-affected areas. The Tourism Department is offering village level experience packages at various destinations but in flood-affected areas, we are carrying out RT packages. The RT mission will be conducting training, capacity building and hand-holding activities as apart of these packages,” she said. The Tourism Department aims to carry out a survey with the help of KITES to create a database of job aspirants in the flood-affected areas, she said.
Foreign delegates to partner with RT
Kochi: Responsible Tourism state coordinator Rupeshkumar K said the inception of a Responsible Tourism Mission a year ago has seen a surge in the number of units under it — from 361 in 2008 to 3,861 today. “The flood-hit Chendamangalam in Ernakulam and Aranmula in Pathanamthitta, which are known for their traditional handloom weavers and mirror-makers are being included as part of the RT package,” he said. “As many as 95 foreign delegates at KTM-2018 have agreed to partner with Kerala Tourism’s RT, which gives job to 30,000 families. Around 7,800 of them are direct beneficiaries of the mission,” Rupeshkumar said. According to KTM-2018 president, a total of 35,000 business meets is comparable with any such event of international repute. He said a new project to braid coconut-tree fronds as thatched roof for hotels and cottages under the RT initiative has already received a huge order. Cottages and hotels have approached the RT mission seeking five lakh woven palm-leaves as thatching material for their buildings.” Abraham George, former president of KTM, said the event has sent across a message that Kerala is working on its tourism industry with renewed vigour.
KTDC launches tour package ‘Kerala on Wheels’ covering entire state
Kochi : Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) and Intersight Tours and Travels on Saturday launched tour package clubbing together all the KTDC properties to give tourists the full experience of Kerala. ‘Kerala on Wheels’, the first-of-its-kind tour programme, makes available the entire range of KTDC properties to tourists at affordable prices. KTDC chairman M Vijayakumar launched the project at the venue of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM). P Bala Kiran, director, Kerala Tourism, Rahul R, KTDC Managing Director, and Abraham George, Chairman and Managing Director, Intersight Tours and Travels, were present on the occasion.