Kerala a preferred destination for weddings and MICE tourism, says CM

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan felicitates former Chief Secretary V. Venu during the inaugural ceremony of Kerala Travel Mart in the city on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT

Kerala is fast emerging as a preferred destination for wellness, weddings and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism, thanks to the State’s ayurveda sector, scenic hill stations, backwater retreats and world-class conference facilities that offer the ideal blend of business and leisure, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Thursday (September 26,2024).

He was speaking after inaugurating the 12th edition of the four-day-long Kerala Travel Mart (KTM-2024), which showcases the diverse range of tourism products of the State before an international audience. “A striking feature of the mart is that it is organised by KTM Society with the support of Kerala Tourism and other agencies, signifying a synergic relationship of all stakeholders of the tourism sector who played a significant role in making Kerala an all-weather, multi-dimensional destination.”

The B2B mart features the highest-ever total of buyers at 2,839 (vis-à-vis the standing record of 1,305 in 2018) from India and abroad.

Special campaign

Apart from boutique experiences, Kerala has also become intellectually appealing, catering to art, culture, and literature, as is evident from globally acclaimed events such as International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB). He credited Kerala’s tourism stakeholders for bouncing back from crises like the pandemic and surpassing the pre-pandemic visits with a record 2.18 crore domestic tourist arrivals in 2023. There was also a surge in foreign tourist arrivals with their number touching 6.49 lakh, representing an impressive growth of 87.83% as compared to 2022. In addition, Kerala Tourism has launched a special marketing campaign to instil confidence among travellers that Kerala, including Wayanad which was hit by landslides, are beautiful and welcoming as ever.

Kerala State has come out with a Mission 2030 master plan, which aims at enhancing the sector’s contribution to the State’s GDP from 12% to 20%. Responsible, community-based tourism is being accorded the pride of place since it has now become crystal clear to the global community that unsustainable practices play havoc with the fragile ecosystem, he added.

Incubation centre

In his address, Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas said that Kerala will soon have an incubation centre for start-ups in the tourism sector. The State’s connectivity is set to leap ahead with the completion of National Highway 66 by 2025 end, while greenfield, coastal and hill highways are under construction. No major destination of the State will be more than a few hours away for visitors, he said.

Quoting UNWTO, the Chief Minister said international travel across the Asia-Pacific region is still recovering at 18%, while the national average stands at 48%. In contrast, Kerala surpassed these benchmarks, achieving an impressive 87.83% growth, marking a significant progress towards pre-Covid levels of foreign arrivals.

Former Chief Secretary V. Venu who played a key role in organising the first KTM in 2000 and who pioneered many initiatives in Kerala’s tourism sector was honoured at the function. He was recently appointed as the chairperson of Kochi Biennale Foundation. The others who spoke include Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal.