Thiruvananthapuram: The 12th edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM-2024) will be held for four days from September 26 next year at Kochi, showcasing Kerala’s strength in the tourism sector before a global audience.
India’s largest tourism and hospitality conclave that draws delegates from across the world, KTM will further strengthen Kerala Tourism which is already on a high growth trajectory, Tourism Minister, Shri P A Mohamed Riyas, told a press conference here today, in the presence of office-bearers of KTM Society, the organisers of the event.
The inaugural ceremony of the flagship event will be followed by three days of sessions on September 27, 28 & 29. The public can visit the expo on September 29. The run-up to KTM-2024 will see a pre-mart tour from September 22 to 26, involving media persons, vloggers and influencers. There will also be a five-day post-mart tour across Kerala from September 30 for select buyers of KTM-2024.
The buyers at the event will be from the USA, UK, Russia, Middle East, South Africa and other European countries, including Scandinavian, organisers revealed. While the 2000-constituted KTM Society is the country’s biggest organisation in the travel and tourism segment, the biennial meet is billed as Asia’s largest tourism event with stronger international representation.
The Minister added Kerala Tourism (KT) has made a fast recovery from the setback inflicted by Covid-19 and it is making a great stride now. During the first half of this year, the state registered a record in the arrival of domestic tourists and also made significant progress in foreign tourists’ footfall. Noting that KTM 2024 will ramp up the tourism sector and industry, he extended the support of the government for the run-up activities to the event.
Today’s press meet was addressed by Department of Tourism Secretary, K Biju; Kerala Tourism Director, P B Nooh, Tourism Additional Director (General), S Prem Krishnan and Kerala Tourism Development Corporation MD, Sikha Surendran, besides KTM Society President, Jose Pradeep and Secretary, S Swaminathan.
The 11th KTM in 2022 facilitated more than 55,000 business interactions in its three days. The buyers totalled 1,134 (234 of them from abroad), while seller stalls totalled 325.
Kerala Biz News