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Kerala, the only tourism entity among Super Brands of India, has emerged from the impacts of COVID-19 and continues to grow in its variety of products and service offerings. Last week, it hosted a record number of buyers from 75 countries at last week’s Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) 2024. It showcased its growing array of products over four days of the mart at Kochi and during post-mart tours across the state. MICE and weddings are the newest segments offered.

P A Mohammed Riyas, Minister for Public Works Department and Tourism, Government of Kerala. Said at the vibrant inaugural ceremony: “Kerala has showcased significant resilience with strategies for a swift rebound in tourism since Covid. While international tourism across Asia Pacific recovery stands at 18 percent of pre-covid level and India has shown 48 percent recovery, Kerala tourism has charted an impressive 87.83 percent recovery from its pre-covid levels. KTM, South Asia’s significant B2B event has been growing to establish itself on the global tourism stage.”

Past Presidents of KTM were honoured at KTM’24.

Kerala received a record 21.8 million domestic arrivals and 649,000 international tourists in 2023. Tourism revenue last year was an impressive $5194.74 mn (Rs 436212.2 mn).

Jose Pradeep, President of KTM’24, said: “KTM has consistently served as a beacon of Kerala’s rich cultural heritage, unparalleled natural beauty and warm hospitality. Despite challenges posed by abnormal circumstances, Kerala has stood tall as a preferred tourist destination for travellers worldwide, thanks to all stakeholders’ dedication and hard work. We’re embracing the theme of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) and Weddings. Increased infrastructure and capacity to hosting worldclass corporate events in serene settings with picturesque backdrops underscores our commitment to evolving with times for meeting the needs of global tourism market.”

Kerala has a diverse range of accommodation facilities. While many international brands of star hotels have set up big convention centres, boutique hotels and resorts continue to enchant guests with their indigenous and sustainable offerings in natural surroundings. Visitors seek destination weddings, caravan tourism, adventure tourism, and the Kerala Art Biennale.

Minister Riyas said: “Kerala’s renowned Ayurveda has consistently demonstrated results that can be assessed using modern medical systems. It’s complemented by the state’s growing reputation as a hub for medical tourism.” He added that the Kerala government has now developed a policy, ‘Mission 2030’, which targets the enhancement of the state tourism sector’s contribution to GDP from 12% to 20%. The policy will focus on sustainability, inclusivity, and public-private partnership (PPP) for private investment and global presence.

The blueprint encompasses the development of heli tourism and Cruise tourism, underlining a new era of infrastructure development in the backdrop of global warming and climate change.