KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER
VTM-2 Evokes Overwhelming Response
The second edition of virtual Kerala Travel mart, the flagship event of the KTM society witnessed good participation from trade partners, stakeholders and tourists. Business meets and seminars on live themes were held as part of the event. They reflected the latest trends in the tourism sector around the world and projected Kerala`s position as a major tourism destination.
The Tourism Minister Shri P. A. Mohammad Riyas who inaugurated the event virtually stressed the government`s efforts to strengthen investment in the development of infrastructure, capacity building and marketing in order to stimulate the growth of the travel and hospitality industry. “The Tourism department will strengthen the marketing activities to ride on the momentum created during the post-pandemic period. This will enhance the footfall of domestic and foreign tourists in the coming tourism season,” the minister said.
Right from its inception the Kerala Travel Mart has been getting generous support from the Government of Kerala and it could complete 11 editions of the event very successfully. The last KTM held in May 2022, conducted after a four-year-gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, was also a great success. There were 234 international and 900 domestic buyers in the last physical KTM held from 5 to 8 May 2022 in Kochi, the minister said.
Virtual business meets and seminar sessions were the highlights of the four-day event. The Kerala Travel Mart has been taking place continuously every two years since its inception. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it did not conduct business in 2020. However, a virtual Mart was conducted from 1 to 10 March 2021 with the active support of Dept of Tourism, Govt of Kerala, and it was a great success.