Kerala Tourism holds roadshows in Oman, Bahrain to boost int'l tourist arrivals to state

It thus becomes imperative for Kerala Tourism to accelerate its visibility in the B2B segments and register significant increase in tourist arrivals from overseas, Teja pointed out.The B2B meets witnessed enthusiastic and successful interactions between Kerala Tourism trade partners in the private sector and buyers from Muscat and Manama.For Kerala, international tourist arrivals are key to income generation, employment opportunities and forex earnings.


PTI | Thiruvananthapuram | Updated: 20-05-2022 20:14 IST | Created: 20-05-2022 20:14 IST
Kerala Tourism holds roadshows in Oman, Bahrain to boost int'l tourist arrivals to state
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Close on the heels of its successful participation in Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, Kerala Tourism conducted business-to-business (B2B) meetings in two other key cities of the Middle East -- Muscat, capital city of Oman, and Manama, the capital and the largest city of Bahrain -- in an aggressive bid to bounce back to pre-pandemic numbers in international tourist arrivals.

The business meets were held in Muscat on Tuesday and in Manama on Wednesday with an intended objective to regain confidence in the Middle East, a key tourism market for Kerala, and firmly put the state in the tourists' itineraries, a Kerala Tourism release said here on Friday.

The official delegation at these two roadshows was led by K S Srinivas, Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism, and V R Krishna Teja Mylavarapu, Director, Kerala Tourism.

Amit Narang, Indian Ambassador to Oman, and Piyush Srivastava, Ambassador of India to Bahrain, attended the roadshows in Muscat and Manama, respectively, as chief guest.

Srinivas said the Middle East is a strategic market for Kerala Tourism in terms of tourist arrivals during June-August, which is the summer holiday period there, and the residents travel to cooler climes to escape from the blistering summer heat.

''Kerala's monsoon is an ideal time for the tourists from the Middle East and many of them also opt for the state's Ayurveda and holistic wellness treatments during this time,'' he added.

Noting that Kerala had witnessed a record number of international tourist arrivals in 2019, he said, ''Our efforts are now geared towards hitting those numbers again with a string of new products and events.'' Teja gave a presentation on Kerala's pitch to the Middle East as a 'Paradise, Four Hours Away'.

New products and events such as Keravan Kerala (Caravan Tourism) and Champions Boat League were also showcased.

''B2B marketing will become a key factor, especially in international markets, as unlike in earlier seasons, Kerala will have to start with zero bookings. It thus becomes imperative for Kerala Tourism to accelerate its visibility in the B2B segments and register significant increase in tourist arrivals from overseas,'' Teja pointed out.

The B2B meets witnessed enthusiastic and successful interactions between Kerala Tourism trade partners in the private sector and buyers from Muscat and Manama.

For Kerala, international tourist arrivals are key to income generation, employment opportunities and forex earnings. The state received Rs 10,271 crore in foreign exchange in 2019, underlining the vital role of international tourist arrivals to its economy.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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