THIRUV ANANTHAPURAM:
Riding on the possibilities of additional prospects that would enable a surge in tourism arrivals from the Arabian region, Kerala Tourism will participate in the prestigious Arabian Travel Mart to be organised from April 22 to 25, in Dubai.
The Kerala delegation for the Arabian Travel Mart will be led by Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Cooperation and Devaswoms. Tourism statistics have revealed that the number of travellers arriving from the Middle East to Kerala have been on the grown path, with tourists from the United Arab Emirates going up by 2.64 percent in 2017, as against the numbers of the previous year. Tourism arrivals from other countries in the region, such as Kuwait (up 14.33%) and Oman (up 5.75%) have also gone up over the past year.
In a bid to tap more opportunities in luring an additional number of tourists every year, the participation of Kerala Tourism at the Arabian Travel Mart in Dubai would help a great deal. The Kerala Tourism delegation to the Arabian Travel Mart and the subsequent travel fairs that would get underway in the region. Top officials led by Jafar Malik, Additional Director, Kerala Tourism, will be part of the delegation.
The Kerala Stand at the travel fair will be set up within the Indian pavilion, and will have six co-exhibitors, including two tour operators and three resorts, along with Kerala Tourism. Once the Arabian Travel Mart gets over on April 25, Kerala Tourism would organise as many as three B2B meets to be held in Riyadh on April 29, Dammam on May 1, and Manama on May 2. The Kerala Tourism delegation for these B2B meets will have as many as 16 sellers including Tour Operators, Hotels and Resorts.
Kadakaampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Cooperation and Devaswoms, said that Kerala Tourism’s presence at the Arabian Travel Mart augurs well for the tourism industry in the state, considering the potential it has to offer to travelers looking to include Kerala in their annual tour itineraries.
Further, the B2B meets that will be organized in various places in the Arabian region would also help Kerala Tourism to convey the possibilities of the travelers planning their leisure holidays as well as business trips to our state.”
According to Rani George, Secretary, Department of Tourism, Kerala Tourism, Kerala has been a destination that has been loved by Arabian travellers, and we have been seeing more opportunities on that front, of late. The rise in numbers of travellers from the Middle East region holds good for Kerala Tourism. The three B2B meets, which will be organized in the high-potential markets i.e. Riyadh, Dammam and Manama, are expected to provide added opportunities to display the charm of Kerala to a wider audience, she added.
Kerala Tourism’s participation in the Arabian Travel Mart as well as the B2B meets being organised in other places in the region will open up newer avenues to display Kerala as an ideal tourist destination, pointed out P Balakiran, Director, Kerala Tourism.
