KOCHI: Celebrating local myths and showcasing them for a global audience is one way of sustaining tourism in Kerala, said speakers at a seminar held at Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) here on Sunday.
Various stakeholders said that this can be done by ensuring community participation.
Be it the recent installation of a giant sculpture of Jatayu, mentioned in the Ramayana, or artworks based on local legends at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, such endeavors draw tourists to God’s Own Country, speakers said during the seminar titled New Products and Interests in Kerala. Riyas Komu, founder of Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), which has been hosting India’s only such biennial cultural event since 2012, said it was no coincidence that the event has Fort Kochi as its main venue. “The place (a western suburb of Kochi) has a layered history that is revealed in its multi-ethnicity: 40 communities from Jewish immigrants to Kashmiri Pandits live in a radius of a couple of kilometers,” said Komu.
Jatayu Earth’s Center CEO Ajit Kumar Balaraman said the eco-friendly Jatayu Rock Tourism project has been envisioned to evoke Kerala’s cultural heritage. Muziris Heritage Project, located near Kochi, is another such initiative that provides tourists with the feel of revisiting our rich heritage. “One of the major attractions of this project is that one can complete the visit to all sites in a day,” said Muziris Projects MD P M Naushad.
As for the state’s traditional wellness system, Ayurveda continues to suffer from a lot of misconceptions despite its immense popularity abroad, said Madan Kumar M K of Government Ayurveda College, Thiruvananthapuram. Homestay is a good model of sustainable tourism that helps the local community, said entrepreneur Ranjini Menon.
US, UK have highest representation
Kochi: The 10th edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) has seen the highest participation from buyers from the US and the UK. At 545, the latest edition of KTM is already the one with the highest attendance of foreign buyers. The 545 delegates have converged at the KTM venue in Willingdon Island from 66 countries. Of the total number of foreign buyers, 42 have arrived from the US and 40 from the UK for business interactions with sellers. There 37 buyers representing the UAE, while 36 have come from Germany. Delegates from Australia (32), Russia (31), Malaysia (26), Poland (24), South Africa (17), Philippines (14), Italy (13), China (12) and Sweden (10), are also actively tying up business-to-business deals. “It is my first time here. I’m looking for new partners and information on the state’s tourism sector,” said Elena Protopopova from Russia.
Ayurveda draws huge response
Kochi: Kerala ayurveda is receiving an overwhelming response from foreign buyers, especially those from West Asia, in the ongoing Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) being held in Kochi. Sellers representing ayurvedic hospitals and resorts at the KTM said they had been seeing a huge rush of West Asian tourists in the past five years. Baby Mathew, the chairman of Somatheeram Ayurveda Group and KTM president, said, “In the past five years, there has been almost a 30 per cent increase in the arrival of tourists from West Asia.” “It is a result of massive campaigns we carried out in West Asian countries. Before then, there were no such campaigns. Today, ayurveda thrives in Germany and Russia owing to the strenuous efforts we undertook,” he said. “Most of the tourists approach ayurvedic physicians as their family doctors,” said Kiran B Nair, managing director, Vaidya Healthcare, Perumbavoor.