Buoyed by a healthy surge in domestic tourist arrivals, post-floods Kerala Tourism is all set to kick-start a new aggressive marketing campaign with a string of Partnership Meets to be organised in Ten Indian Cities, showcasing a combination of the State’s traditional art forms and its attractive products of touristy appeal.
With remarkable participation in Patna, Lucknow and Indore earlier this month, Kerala Tourism officials are delighted to be in Bhopal now and look forward to the Partnership meets being held later on at Pune, Mumbai, Nashik, Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Surat.
Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the meets, coinciding with the upcoming Onam festivities, would provide opportunities for the tourism trade in these cities to interact with over 50 tourism industry players from Kerala. "We are expecting 60-70 buyers from the respective cities to attend each show," he added.
The Partnership Meet will also showcase the presentation of a short 30-minute cultural programme, a visual storytelling that encapsulates the various art forms of Kerala, to unveil the village life and folklore of God's Own Country.
Domestic tourist arrivals in Kerala in the first quarter of 2019 stood at 41,90,468 as against the figures of 38,77,712 during the corresponding period in 2018, registering an increase of 8.07 percent.
Surendran said the Onam Week celebrations, along with the Champions Boat League (CBL) in Kerala's stunning backwaters, would attract more travellers this season. The CBL, to be held in early August, would go until November. Conceived in the IPL format, it is going to be the main driver of monsoon tourism this year.
Tourism Director P Bala Kiran said Kerala has added an array of new and exciting products and experiences that are tailor-made for the domestic traveller and would also make the state a 365-day destination.