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Looking to attract the Arabs to the shores of God's Own Country, Kerala Tourism launched an aggressive campaign in the form of a series of road shows to unveil the charm of Kerala among the traders and travellers in Saudi Arabia. The road shows were held in the cities of Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam in May 2012. The campaign was to focus on Saudi Arabia as one of the key future markets for Kerala.
As the Kerala Tourism bandwagon, showcasing the State's mesmerizing products and offers came calling for the first time to this Middle East country, it evoked huge response from the industry and travellers alike.
As many as 65 leading firms attended the road show at Jeddah where the Hon'ble Consul General of India Mr. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai was present. The number swelled to 100 at Riyadh where the Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mr. Hamid Ali Rao graced the occasion. At Dammam, a quality crowd of 80 trade partners attended the road show.
"We saw a 125 per cent increase in the flow of tourists from Saudi Arabia to Kerala during 2011. Arabs who know the Kerala culture closely through our people in the Gulf are now showing greater interest in traveling to the State and savouring its pristine beauty. The present campaign is to further boost this inflow," said Mr. A. P. Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala.
"Going by the turnout and the interest shown by the trade partners in the Gulf, we expect a major increase in the flow of travellers in the coming months. We could clearly present how Kerala has become a destination for all months and brief the industry about the latest offers from the State. We could reach to over 250 leading trade partners and keep them abreast of new products and destinations from Kerala," said Mr. T. K. Manoj Kumar, Secretary, Kerala Tourism.
The Kerala delegation led by Mr. A. P. Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala had the presence of a strong contingent from the travel and tourism industry of Kerala.
The Gulf region recorded more than 9 million outbound tourists in 2011 and the figure is likely to touch 35 million by 2020. Saudi Arabian tourists are the highest spending travellers abroad from the Gulf region with nearly half of the country's population in the higher income bracket. Tourists from Saudi Arabia look for holidays in the harsh summer (June to September) in their country when temperatures hover above 50 degree Celsius. Unlike the previously favoured destinations in the West, the new Arab travellers now prefer to spend their holidays in Asia, India being one of the favourite destinations.
