KTM, a catalyst to bring back tourists to Kerala, says Chief Secy

We must strengthen tourism infrastructure, he pointed out at the end of KTM-2022 that had delegates from 69 countries holding 55,000 business meets.Experts from across the country and abroad addressed four seminars and the paperless event was held at Sagara and Samudrika convention centres here.KTM Society President, Baby Mathew Somatheeram, who chaired one of the sessions, said the mart will be followed by a travel package for 300 delegates to the states northern, central and southern regions.

The four-day long Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) concluded on Sunday with the state Chief Secretary V P Joy hailing it as a 'catalyst' to bring back tourists to the state after the COVID-19 pandemic induced lull.

Speaking at the final session of the international event at Willingdon Island here, Joy assured the government's support to the KTM Society and the entire tourism fraternity to revitalise the travel industry.

''The four-day KTM-2022 has been an exemplary model for public-private partnership, triggering a mood of enthusiasm among the state's tourism stakeholders...The government will provide the KTM Society and the entire tourism fraternity all its support to revitalise travel industry in Kerala,'' Joy said.

Noting that Kerala has figured on the list of the UN's Human Development Index during the past three years, the top bureaucrat highlighted the role of tourists for the state's economy to progress steadily. ''We have both beautiful nature and warm people. We must strengthen tourism infrastructure,'' he pointed out at the end of KTM-2022 that had delegates from 69 countries holding 55,000 business meets.

Experts from across the country and abroad addressed four seminars and the paperless event was held at Sagara and Samudrika convention centres here.

KTM Society President, Baby Mathew Somatheeram, who chaired one of the sessions, said the mart will be followed by a travel package for 300 delegates to the state's northern, central and southern regions. ''We have also arranged a chartered flight to Kannur this Tuesday. They will have a week's local tour to know more about Malabar, which is our new focus of tourism,'' he added.

KTM 2022, which featured 325 stalls that were open to the public since this afternoon, gave a platform to around 1,500 buyers, more than 300 of them international.

'Kerala: Attractions Beyond Nature', 'God's Own Country - Version 2.0', 'Potential Areas of Tourism in Kerala' and 'Changing Trends in Travel' were the seminar topics during the last three days at the KTM.

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