Kerala tourism industry buoyant as record buyers converge on travel mart
The renewed tourism push by the Kerala Government and other industry stakeholders after the Wayanad monsoon tragedy saw a record number of buyers attending the four-day Kerala Travel Mart that is underway in Kochi.
Touted as Asia’s biggest tourism industry event, the KTM-2024 has attracted registrations from 2,839 buyers, who comprise travel agents and other professionals seeking business with Kerala’s hoteliers and service providers. The previous high stood at 1,305 buyers in 2018.
Among the participants, 804 are foreign buyers from 76 countries. The maximum 67 are from the UK and 245 from the rest of Europe. Sixty are from West Asia, 55 US, 41 Africa and 34 Russia. Of the 2,035 domestic buyers, Maharashtra tops the list with 578, followed by Delhi at 340 and Gujarat 263.
The biennial KTM, which will conclude on September 29, was initiated in 2000. The idea was conceived by a few hoteliers who grouped under a non-profit body, Kerala Travel Mart Society, which now has 600 members. The society survives on contributions from the government and members. Inaugurating the KTM, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the society’s objective was to create a common interaction platform for travel agents from across the globe and the service providers in Kerala.
Vijayan also said the government was initiating measures to make Kerala a top hub in South Asia for destination weddings and health tourism. “The focal points of the KTM-2024 are MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism, wedding destination and cruise,” he said.
The CM said tourism in Kerala had not only reached the pre-Covid levels, but even surpassed it. “A record 2.18 crore domestic tourists visited Kerala in 2023, registering an increase of 15.92 per cent compared to 2022. The foreign tourist arrivals stood at 6.49 lakh, an impressive growth of 87.83 per cent. Till June this year, 1.86 crore domestic tourists and 3.66 lakh foreigners visited the state,” he said.
Citing UNWTO data, Vijayan said international travel across Asia-Pacific, vis-à-vis the pre-Covid period, was still recovering at 18 per cent while India’s national average stood at 48 per cent (2023-end). “In contrast, Kerala has achieved an impressive 87.83 per cent growth, marking a significant progress in foreign arrivals,” he said.
Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas said the Kerala Government was, in association with industry stakeholders, set to open the first-of its-kind tourism incubation and innovation centre to help startups conceive new ideas in the sector.
