Kerala to launch initiatives to sustain tourism momentum

Bangalore, Aug 26: The God's own Country, Kerala, has generated a total revenue Rs 11,433 crore in 2007 from tourism, an increase of 25.28 per cent over the previous year and to sustain this growth it has launched several innovative programmes.

Addressing a press conference here Mr M Shivasankar, Director Kerala tourism said Kerala, blessed with magnificent waterways, sheltered beaches, picturesque hills, rejuvenate Ayurveda has seen a remarkable increase in the arrival of domestic and international tourists.

While International arrivals recorded 20.37 per cent rise over previous year, the domestic arrivals registered an increase of over 5.92 per cent, he said.

The state had earned a foreign exchange of Rs 2640.94 crore during 2007, a record growth of 32.82 per cent, over the previous year.

He said that during 2007 the arrival of foreign tourists into Kerala was 515,808, while as many as 66,42,941 people from within India came to savour the beauty and experience rich tradition of hospitality in Kerala.

Among the foreign tourists 23.44 per cent of the total were from United Kingdom followed by France (9.33 per cent) and Germany (7.64 per cent).

The total domestic tourist arrival to Kerala during the first quarter of 2008 is 18,12,490, an increase of 15.04 per cent compared to the corresponding previous year. Rolling out several initiatives to sustain the momentum witnessed in the field of tourism, which is one of the mainstay of the state's economy, Mr Sivashankar said Kochi plays host as a stopover port for the world's premier offshore yacht race, Volvo Ocean race.

The 2008th edition of the 'Everest of Sailing' was coming to Asia for the first time after it would be flagged-off from Alicante in Spain on October four. The Volvo Ocean race was the world's premier yacht race for professional racing crews, he said.

The Kerala travel Mart, the biennial event showcasing the best of Kerala which is the only tourism mart in the sub-continent brings together the business fraternity and entrepreneurs behind the tourism products an services of the state.

The 2008 edition of KTM to be hosted in Kochin from September 20th to 23rd will present the international travel and tourism trade with the perfect opportunity to make fresh contacts, strike deals and discover new realms of success, he said.

He said that to reach out the domestic market, a string of Road Shows are being organised in key markets including New Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai. The Road Show, a powerful networking and business event will offers an unique opportunity for the trade in these markets to interact with their counterparts from Kerala, he said.

UNI