Kerala Tourism Impresses at FITUR

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

ISSUE: 282

FEBRUARY 2017

Kerala hogged the limelight at the just concluded FITUR as Kerala Tourism showcased the state’s stellar attraction, the boat race in all its grandeur.

The sprawling stall of Kerala Tourism at one of the world’s largest tourism and travel fairs in the Spanish capital of Madrid recreated the theme of boat race, the hugely popular sporting spectacle, and swept the visitors off their feet.

“Our stall drew a huge response from the travel industry and the general public alike. We had fruitful discussions and meetings with the industry partners in Spain. They were quite inquisitive about the boat race, serene backwaters, and the Ayurveda rejuvenation therapies. They have agreed to send more tourists to Kerala by including our destinations in the travel packages,” said Mr. U. V. Jose, Director, Kerala Tourism who led a strong delegation of officials and various tourism stakeholders to the annual fair.

Mr. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Union Ministry of Tourism, and Mr. D. B. Venkatesh Varma, Ambassador of India to Spain, were among the visitors to the Kerala pavilion.

Mr. Jose said this was for the 13th year on the trot that Kerala Tourism participated in FITUR, which provides a platform for the global tourism industry to promote commercial agreements and hammer out actionable strategies for growth of tourism.

Eyeing for a robust growth in tourist arrivals from European countries, Kerala Tourism held road shows in Lyon and Rome.

The partners of Kerala Tourism which attended FITUR 2017 were CGH Earth, Kumarakom Lake Resort, Pioneer Personalised Holidays and Marvel Tours. In recent times, Kerala has witnessed a healthy increase in tourist arrivals from Spain. In 2015, 14,187 tourists arrived in the state, registering a growth of 21.7 percent compared to previous year.