Tourism News

Owing to the grand success of the 2008 edition of the Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF), the Minister for Tourism, Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan recently announced the formation of Trade Fair Authority for the annual conduct of GKSF. The 2009 edition of GKSF will be conducted by this authority. The minister stated this, while inaugurating the concluding function of the second edition of GKSF at Kottayam in Kerala.

According to the minister for tourism, GKSF proved that such an exercise can be successfully conducted with the support of various government departments as well as the business and trade community in the state. In the backdrop of Kerala now placed as a well-known travel destination in the world, the platform is well set for making it into a destination for shopping. And by including small-scale traders, the shopping festival now has attained more mass appeal, the minister said.

Recalling Kerala?s status as a historic trade centre, where merchant vessels from far off countries visited its coast to procure goods, the minister said that current efforts through GKSF and similar ventures is to restore that past glory by developing a market for Kerala products. The minister cited the promotion of coir, cashew and handloom products during the GKSF as efforts in that direction.