KERALA unveiled a host of new products, destinations and hotel properties during the recently concluded biennial Kerala Travel Mart at Le Meridien Kochi Resort & Convention Centre.
Bekal, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Munnar, Thekkady, Kumarakom, AlleppeyKollam and Thiruvananthapuram were some of the destinations featuring new products such as water sports, naturopathic healing, traditional spa treatments, cultural immersion tours and soft adventure travel. There were also 70 new properties offered.
Kerala’s tourism minister, A P Anil Kumar, said: “We need to add newer destinations, which are numerous across the state, to cater to the increased flow of domestic and international inbound tourists to our destination.”
Presenting their wares to 454 international buyers from 48 countries and 1,742 Indian buyers, 416 exhibitors displayed products ranging from beach holidays, Ayurveda and wellness tourism, adventure travel and cruise packages, to luxury hotel and home and farm stays.
A 21-member delegation from Ukraine was also in attendance, spearheading a good response from Eastern Europe countries.
Last year, foreign tourist arrivals to Kerala jumped 11.2 per cent to 732,985, up from 659,265 in 2010.
