Kerala dangles brands to lure quality tourists

Tuesday, 02 September 2003, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: Picturesque Kerala is trying to lure the high-spending globetrotter with brand names for its tourist destinations and trade events. "We are no longer seeking the average $25 spending tourists but high-spending quality visitors through branding exercises," Kerala Tourism Minister K.V. Thomas told IANS in an interview. Such exercises would include brands like "Mystiques of Malabar" for north Kerala, "Evergreen Land of Gold" for a month-long gold festival from October 10, a three-day "International Boat Show" from September 26, and the annual "Ornamental Fisheries Exhibition" in December. Kerala will participate in the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) exhibition as well as Russian, Chinese, Malaysian, London and Berlin tourism trade events to target mainly high-class tourists, Thomas said. It is also trying to attract domestic visitors, who have been flocking to Kerala in increasing numbers, through road shows. Coinciding with celebrations marking Onam, the harvest festival, Kerala will host a week-long event in New Delhi from September 8 to give a taste and glimpse of its varied cuisines and cultural hues. "This year, we have done extremely well even during the off-season summer months from May. The Nehru Trophy boat race this year witnessed a record turnout," the minister said. "With the tourist season ready to start in earnest from September, we are gearing up to host a number of events that will help promote Kerala." The international boat show will see the depiction of the traditional spice route, linking Kerala with countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. "Around 70 participants from 12 countries, including Britain, France, UAE (United Arab Emirates), Malaysia and Singapore have confirmed their booking for the boat show, which will also have leading international boat magazines participating," said Thomas. The boat show will be followed by the Kerala gold festival from October 10 to November 9. This is a unique branding exercise focusing on the traditional art of handcrafted jewellery in the state. The event is being jointly organised by the Kerala Tourism Department, the All-Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants' Association (AKGSMA) and the World Gold Council. Pitched to be on par with the Dubai Gold Festival, five major cities -- Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur and Kozhikode -- will be holding exhibitions to create awareness and promote quality gold. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which tracks tourism growth in the state on a quarterly basis, Kerala last year registered the highest growth in the tourism sector in India in the last 10 years. "Kerala registered a growth of 23.5 percent in terms of earnings from travel and tourism in the past 10 years. India's estimates for this entire period were 14.3 percent," said Thomas. "This year we expect another 12.5 percent growth. Tourism in Kerala is also expected to generate over $1.7 billion in terms of economic activity during the current fiscal year, and is expected to grow to $6.6 billion by 2012," he added. The hotels in the state are enjoying the benefit of the market promotions, with many reporting 80-90 percent occupancy. "While we are keen to promote tourism, we are taking steps to ensure that there is no unbridled growth that will damage the environment and civic structure," Thomas said.
Source: IANS