Tourism News

Kerala Travel Mart 2014 Concludes

Published in Newsletter Issue No. 254 - October 2014

The eighth edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), the biennial event that showcases Kerala, India’s tourism Super Brand, has successfully concluded. The three-day event had the presence of about 300 international and 950 domestic buyers and triggered close to 30,000 appointments with local exhibitors, who showcased a range of Kerala Tourism products.

The sellers at KTM 2014 included hotels and resorts, tour operators, homestays, houseboat operators, Ayurveda resorts, adventure tour operators, amusement parks, convention centres, private museums and speciality hospitals. Altogether, buyers from 45 countries checked out the stalls at KTM and did business.

Argentina, Australia, the Scandinavian countries and Brazil were some of the new markets explored at the mart, while UK, Spain, Germany, France and Russia topped the list with about 25-30 buyers from each country. 

Kerala Tourism’s Spice Route initiative also got its share of exposure, evoking the interest of the travel industry. With the help of UNESCO, Kerala Tourism’s Spice Route project will link 31 countries spread over Europe, Asia and the Far-East.

“The Spice Route project would take tourism in Kerala to the next level of orbit,” said Mr. Suman Billa, Secretary, Kerala Tourism.

The travel mart was able to highlight the adventure tourism destinations in Kerala viz. Bekal, Cheruthuruthy / Nila, Athirappilly, Cherai and Kollam. Kerala Tourism’s Responsible Tourism (RT), Kumarakom model, which has become a benchmark for RT ventures in Kerala was also showcased in the event.