By Ashraf Padanna
KOCHI: The best of brand Kerala will be on display at the fifth edition of biennial Kerala Travel Mart, the state’s biggest tourism event, that opens here today.
Some 1,000 foreign delegates from 50 countries, including Australia, France, UK and the US, are participating in the four-day event.
Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan will open the mart in the presence of a federal Tourism Minister Ambika Soni and a host of state ministers and senior bureaucrats with the federal and state tourism departments.
The Kerala Travel Mart, established to promote tourism in the state, will have 312 stalls displaying the state’s tourism products, including beaches, backwaters, hill stations and ayurveda centres.
It will primarily be a gathering of tour operators, media persons, government agencies and others who have a stake in tourism in the state.
“Buyer-registration has touched an all-time high with 970 domestic and 570 international buyers. The number of stalls is also the highest-ever,” said the state’s Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. “It will showcase Kerala as Asia’s new age destination and India’s super brand”.
The inaugural ceremony will be held today evening at the Le Meridien International Convention Centre.
“Besides, seminars, tours and cultural evenings, the KTM gives the participants a first-hand experience of the destination itself. The cultural events will be a collage of traditional and ethnic Kerala art and dance forms,” said Raju Kannampuzha of Executive Events, the event managers.
“This is a B2B meet to promote tourism and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) of Kerala”.
Kerala tourism secretary Dr Venu V said successive editions of KTM would add new dimensions to the already established brand Kerala. “It will be a boost to the tourist potential of the state as well,” he said.
Some 70 tables, 175 modules and 16 houseboat parking bays have been set up for the event. Leading international airlines like Air India, Sri Lankan, Silk Air and Jet Airways are bringing in the delegates.
“The tourism industry which includes leading hotels in and around Kochi will provide 700 rooms free of cost for the participants for three days. We have also arranged for visits to various tourists destinations across the state for the buyers, to have a feel of what Kerala tourism industry offers,” said E M  Najeeb, chairman of the KTM Society.