KOCHI: To give an impetus to the tourism sector, the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) Society has decided to hold the biennial buyer-seller meet. This year’s edition will be held from September 27 to 30 in Kochi. Since the event is a business event, it will be held as per schedule, said KTM managing committee. There were doubts whether the meet would be held this year after the government decided to cancel all state-sponsored programmes in the wake of devastating floods.
At a press meet held here on Thursday, society president Baby Mathew said KTM intends to revive the flood-ravaged tourism sector. “Unlike other celebratory programmes, KTM is a business event. The meet will help in reviving the tourism sector. Through KTM, we can give a message to the world that Kerala is ready to welcome tourists again,” he said.
Of the 650 foreign delegates registered, 393 have confirmed their participation, said Baby Mathew. He said 1,095 domestic delegates will take part in the event. “We have updated the delegates about the situation in Kerala. The number will increase in the coming days and we will release the exact number of participants by September 10,” he said.
The inaugural session of the four-day event, organised by the KTM Society in association with the State Tourism Department, will be held at Grand Hyatt, Bolgatty, on September 27. A series of buyer-seller meets, seminars and policy deliberations will take place at Samudrika and Sagara Convention Centre at the Willingdon Island. ‘Malabar tourism’ will be the theme of this year’s KTM and will focus on the nine rivers of north Kerala.
Abraham George, former president and expert member of the National Tourism Advisory Committee (NTAC) said the Tourism Department would support the event. Total expense for the event would be around `3.5 to `3.75 crore. As part of its social responsibility mission, KTM Society has set up a Task Force for flood relief and rehabilitation efforts by bringing together 28 organisations from the tourism sector.