Kerala has immense potential as a honeymoon destination, say foreign delegates at Kerala Travel Mart-2024

Foreign tour agents attending the ongoing 12th edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) here are impressed by Kerala’s potential as a destination for honeymooners and those seeking ayurveda, saying they intend to promote this facet of the State in their countries.

A tour agent from Chile, Veronica Rioseco – who has travelled across India before – is visiting Kerala for the first time to market the State’s honeymoon destinations. Normally, people from South America visit the Golden Triangle (Jaipur, Agra and Delhi), but rarely come to southern India. But now the scenario is changing, due to Kerala’s pristine beaches, landscape, people, balmy weather and boating through the backwaters, all of which make it a hub for honeymooners and couples.

Echoing a similar view, Diego Celma from Spain said most of his clients are couples and many of them prefer Kerala for honeymoon trips. “This has prompted him to introduce a special tour package connecting India and the Maldives. My package for Kerala consists of adventure activities like scuba diving as well,” he said.

Referring to the potential of ayurveda, Peter Foster from the UK said one of the problems of UK doctors is that they don’t recognise holistic therapy and traditional medicine. But most of our clients are interested in spiritual healing and organic food, and thus the popularity of ayurveda is growing, he noted.

Plantation tourism

Tourism experts at the event said Kerala’s tourism sector will reach a new level if the potential of the State’s plantations, spread over 7.12 lakh hectares, is fully utilised. For this, the State government must support the diversification of the plantation sector. Jose Dominic, hotelier and the first president of Kerala Travel Mart Society described the plantations as the hospitality industry’s “gold mine.”

Later, at a seminar on ‘Application of AI in tourism industry’, speakers said stakeholders in the tourism sector must gain expertise in the emerging technology for their business to sustain, as younger tourists are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence.

Responsible tourism

Starfish and mussel shells from the Beypore shore, embedded in the scented translucent wax-gel decorative candles, the wonders of clay craft, and handicrafts made of different types of yarns and fibres that showcase the unique rural artisanship of the local community are among the star attractions at KTM, India’s largest travel mart. These are from the stable of community units registered with the State’s Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission Society.

Among them, the ‘Candle Queen’ group, registered under the Beypore Responsible Tourism Mission in 2022, was formed at the initiative of four women. Varying in shape and colour, these candle lamps are in high demand in Kerala and beyond, with the group receiving around 200 business orders last year from abroad and recently, 75 orders from Europe.

Kadalundi and Kumarakom panchayats, which implemented RT Mission programmes had on Friday bagged the National Tourism Awards for the Best Responsible Tourism Village and the Best Agri Tourism Village respectively.

The KTM expo that is on at Sagara Samudrika Convention Centre in Willingdon Island will be open for members of the public on Sunday, September 29, from 1 p.m., the organisers said.

Published - September 28, 2024 08:46 pm IST