Kerala introduces road shows to attract tourists

Ahmedabad, Apr 29 (UNI) Kerala Tourism, in a bid to provide a opportunity for trade and industry in Ahmedabad, has introduced path breaking initiatives in tourism and has organised road shows to attract more domestic tourists.

The road show that began today from here will move towards Baroda and then Pune.

Kerala Tourism Director M Sivsankar told reporters here that the motive behind the road show plan is to offer a unique opportunity for the trade and industry in Ahmedabad to interact with their counterparts from Kerala.

To sustain this momentum, several innovative programmes have been introduced by Kerala Tourism for the first time in India. ''We commit ourselves to work with others to take responsibility for achieving the economic, social and environmental components of responsible and sustainable tourism,'' he said.

Access between the western states and Kerala was improving substantially now-a-days with the increased rail and travel connectivity. However, he said, ''With easy connectivity we had to take initiative to boost tourism. International tourist arrivals recorded a significant 20.37 per cent increase over the previous years, while the domestic tourist arrivals marked only a 5.92 per cent increase.'' Mr Sivsankar said that dream season launched in April 2007 targeted at domestic holiday makers is rapidly converting the traditional off-season--April-September into a season of opportunity for travellers.

Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), the biennial event showcasing the best of Kerala, is the only tourism market in the sub-continent that brings together the business fraternity and entrepreneurs behind the tourism products and services of the state. He said KTM 2008 will be held from September 20-23 at Kochi, which is a perfect example of the synergy between the public and private sector, joining hands for the promotion of tourism in the state.

UNI PVN GR AG RL VC2001