13th edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) opened with a record number of buyers on Friday. It also marked a historic milestone as the first Mart held after Kerala officially changed its name to ‘Keralam’, its pre-colonisation name, in August this year. 1500 buyers from 71 countries and all states of India interacted with 350-plus sellers from across Keralam, including attractions, accommodation owners, wellness providers, and travel and tour counterparts, engaging in 45,000 interactions over three days of the mart in Kochi.
Jose Pradeep, President, KTM’26 said: “Hotels have provided 6000 complimentary room nights to hosted buyers. We are also conducting a total of 12 pre and post mart tours with a choice of different regions of Keralam showcasing traditional as well as new destinations.”
CM addressing KTM delegates
Keralam has 600 kilometres of coastline. Many rivers and backwaters are being serviced by houseboat cruises. Kochi also has a water metro connecting major areas within the city.
Keralam State Chief Minister V D Satheesan said while inaugurating the KTM’26: “We are declaring government’s dream projects to showcase Keralam. We plan to integrate all of Keralam’s ports -2 international, 1 container and 18 mini ports into one and shift 50 percent of logistics to seaside. Many cruise companies have approached us with an interest to start their services from Kochi to Maldives, Dubai, Sri Lanka and more. We have permitted Cochin port to start a tourist terminal.”
Keralam received 820,000 international tourists in 2025, an increase of 11.33 percent. Though it’s short of pre-pandemic levels, domestic tourist influx made up for tourism growth with 25 million visitors, an increase of 12.64 percent over the previous year.
Thaiyyam dance face depiction at KTM26
Keralam Minister for Tourism, Cultural Affairs and Cinema, P C Vishnunadh, said: “Our vision is to develop new destinations to let travellers discover unexplored attractions of Keralam and experience diversity beyond the familiar.”
Keralam state government has started construction of an international convention centre near Cochin airport. It’s also planning a maritime museum and an oceanarium in Kochi. A film city and an annual international film festival are being planned for capital Thiruvananthapuram.
Tourists can now partake in Onam celebrations
Keralam is set to announce industry status to tourism in a month’s time. Mr Vishnunadh said: “This will help many entrepreneurs to join tourism, especially the small ones who have to wait for months to get clearances for business set-up. New ideas can lead to enterprises, experiences can become tourism products and creative economy through literature, cinema, performing arts, festivals, crafts and architecture can add to tourism.”
The Tourism Minister has also committed to presenting a dedicated calendar of cultural events and festivals to enrich packages and create itineraries. Keralam has a deep foundation in Ayurveda. Minister sees potential in combining this heritage with contemporary global travel preferences. Onam, the annual traditional festival, will be promoted as a tourist attraction through a ‘Be Malayali for a Day’ initiative, where sharing food, traditions, participating in cultural activities and connecting with communities will be encouraged.
UK, USA, Oman, Germany and France were the top source markets for Keralam with 14.86, 13.9, 7.92. 5.98% and 5.72% share, respectively. Kerala received a total of INR 507 mn ($ 5.29 mn) in tourism receipts in 2025.
By: Madhura Katti – © 2026.
Read Time: 5 minutes.
Author Bio:
Madhura Katti didn’t just choose travel; it chose her. Trained in hotel management in Bangalore, she quickly understood that journeys are about people, not places. By the nineties, she was writing on travel and food with a natural authority, later earning a Best Travel Writer award that surprised no one who had read her work.
Storytelling soon moved to film. Her documentary work with Indigenous India captured the spirit of a country in motion and won a National Award for Best Tourism Film.
After years with TTG Asia and Aviation International News, she brought her seasoned judgement to EGT Media, where she now guides coverage across India and South Asia steady, perceptive, and unmistakably human.
