THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas on Wednesday said the government will envisage a comprehensive project to attract more foreign tourists to the state. The state has been witnessing a surge in the number of domestic tourists, the statement said. “Our next goal is to attain a similar achievement in foreign tourists too. We are planning to implement a comprehensive project as part of it. This includes the participation of the state in trade fairs held in foreign countries.
The depar tment is organising promotional campaigns in countries whose citizens visit Kerala often.The state’s inclusion in the list of 50 must-visit places in the world prepared by Time magazine and the Caravan tourism project by the government are major milestones in the industry,” said Riyas. The minister said the people’s participation in Onam celebrations was huge.
“Onam has become the biggest trade fair in Kerala. From street vendors to big businessmen, everyone has benefited from it. After overcoming the two-year slowdown owing to the pandemic, the state’s tourism sector has taken a giant leap with Onam. This year’s celebration was a ‘revenge’ by the people as they couldn’t celebrate it festively in the last two years. The department has decided to organise more activities regarding Onam to bring the world’s attention to the festival,” he said.