Kerala Travel Mart

The travel market of Kerala (KTM), the biennial gathering of buyer-seller has been a great success with 1304 buyers participating in the event. KTM, held between 20 and 23 September 2008 was occupied by resources and providers of services such as boat house, homestay accommodation, Ayurveda and tour. Buyers of 1304 registered, 455 were international buyers. The market consisted of 312 stalls. Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Minister of Tourism, the success of KTM clearly indicates the growing acceptance of Kerala as a destination in the world.

A draft tripartite agreement for cooperation in tourism was signed between India, Brazil and South Africa at a joint meeting of working group held during the travel of Kerala. Ms. Leena Nandan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism Trade Unions, said that the agreement was a prelude to bilateral agreements between India, Brazil and South Africa in the future. According to Dr. Venu, V., secretary, tourism in Kerala, KTM clearly shows that the association between the public and the private sector can achieve excellent results in the tourism industry.

About 8 proposals worth Rs.850 million for investment in the tourism sector have been received B2B rally held by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation in KTM. According to Mr. Sivasankar, Director, Kerala Tourism, the number of increasingly important investment proposals identifies promising tourism industry for the state.