Tourism News

Kerala Travel Mart catches the eye

Published in Newsletter Issue No. 182 - 01-Oct-2008

Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), the biennial buyer-seller meet turned out to be a big success with 1,304 buyers participating in the event. KTM, held between September 20 and 23, 2008 was attended by resorts and providers of services like houseboats, homestays, Ayurveda and tour operators. Of the 1,304 registered buyers, 455 were international buyers. The Mart featured 312 stalls. According to Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Minister for Tourism, the success of KTM clearly indicates the growing acceptance of Kerala as a destination in the world.

A draft tripartite agreement for cooperation in the field of tourism was signed between India, Brazil and South Africa at a joint working group meeting held during Kerala Travel Mart. Ms. Leena Nandan, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Tourism, said that the agreement was a prelude to bilateral agreements between India, Brazil and South Africa in the future. According to Dr. Venu, V., Secretary, Kerala Tourism, KTM clearly proves that public-private partnership can achieve excellent results in the tourism industry.

About 8 proposals worth Rs.850 million for investment in the tourism sector was received at the B2B meet held by Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation at KTM.