KOCHI: The four-day Kerala Travel Mart - 2024 is becoming a big crowd-puller. Over the years the number of buyers and sellers arriving from not only within the country but also other countries has increased significantly. Of the 808 foreign buyers from 76 countries at KTM 2024, 67 are from the UK, 60 from the Gulf and 55 from the US.
While the buyers from Russia total 34, those from the rest of Europe comprise 245. There are 41 buyers from Africa; others are from East Asia. Maharashtra (578) tops the domestic buyers, followed by Delhi (340) and Gujarat (263).
Speaking to TNIE on the sidelines of the event which is being held at Samudrika Convention Centre at Willingdon Island in Kochi, Pawel Szczotka, product manager with Wyjazdy Z Najlepsza Ekipa, a Polish travel agency, says, “The state is truly God’s Own Country. This is my first time visiting Kerala and I am very impressed. The KTM is also turning out to be a big success. I have been able to meet many sellers.”
The Polish agent is planning to bring tourists from his homeland impressed by the experiential tourism packages being offered by the tourism industry in Kerala.
If it was experiential tourism that attracted Pawel, for Hazel Tshosa the well-packaged wellness tourism, especially the Ayurveda packages, holds a great promise for the people from Botswana.
“There are many similarities between Kerala and Botswana regarding traditional medicine. Practitioners of traditional medicine used to be the go-to people for treatment in our country. But with the arrival of the colonials, everything changed and the onus was placed on Western medicine.
Today, the ancient know-how of the traditional treatments for various ailments has been lost. But it is very interesting to see that Kerala and India as a whole have held on to their traditions,” she says.
“The Ayurvedic treatment here is a well-planned one. It is structured and systemic. Your practitioners know which herb is used for what ailment. So, this sector is a great attraction for our people,” she adds.
This is Hazel’s first visit to Kerala and she has been meeting up with many Ayurveda practitioners who have put up their stalls at KTM. For Naomi Jasmine Clark from the UK, her tryst with Kerala began when she was associated with The Blue Yonder for her research paper.
“Now I am with The Blue Yonder liaisoning with the agents from Britain. It is a great experience and from the interest that I have been seeing among the buyers, it can be easily said that the foreign tourist footfalls in Kerala will increase significantly,” says Naomi, who considers Kerala her second home. And the numbers support her statement.
The buyers at this edition of KTM clocked the highest-ever total of 2,839 (vis-a-vis the standing record of 1,305 in 2018), while the domestic category adds up to 2,035.
Tuning into changing global needs and trends, Kerala is initiating measures to make the state a hub of wellness tourism, says Minister for Tourism and PWD Mohammed Riyas on Friday. The focal points of KTM-2024 are Responsible Tourism, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions), wedding destinations and cruise tourism. The government also envisages a care economy, that will cater to the comforts of the young and the aged alike. “The government is set to open an Incubation and Innovation Centre in collaboration with investors, industrialists and administrative officials,” he says.
According to the minister, the successful hosting of the G20 meetings in Kerala is a testament to the unique experience the state offers to global visitors. Other major segments set to receive greater attention in Kerala include Ayurveda and wellness tourism, caravan tourism, heli-tourism, cruise tourism, culinary tourism, village life experience and adventure tourism, he adds.