KOCHI: The 12th edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM-2024) will begin tomorrow with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurating the four-day event at the Le Meridien in Kochi.
Tourism Minister Mohammed Riyas will preside over the opening ceremony, with Finance Minister K N Balagopal as the chief guest.
At the event, former chief secretary Dr Venu V will be honoured ‘for his outstanding contributions towards the growth of Kerala Tourism’, while his successor Sararda Muraleedharan will release a Seller’s Directory.
After the inaugural function, Tourism Secretary K Biju will provide a presentation, which will be addressed by an array of prominent personalities. The mart is organised by the KTM Society every two years. This year, the mart marks the highest-ever buyers at 2,839, out of which 2,035 are from within the country. A total of 808 foreign buyers from 76 countries, including the UK, Russia, the US and more.
In the following three days, business sessions will be held at the Sagara-Samudrika Convention Centre on Willingdon Island. The mart will also host an expo, which will be opened to the public. On September 30 will begin a five-day tour across the state for select buyers. The tour will include destinations in Wayanad, the district which saw a dip in footfalls after multiple landslides in Mundakkai and Chooralmala.