Trivandrum: Kochi is all set to host the country’s biggest tourism event, with Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurating the four days Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) on May 5. Being held after a hiatus of two years caused by the Covid pandemic, the Mart is expected to be attended by delegates from 69 countries.
The KTM Society’s four-day fair in Kochi will kick off on May 5 with Tourism Minister Shri P.A. Mohamed Riyas chairing the function at Grand Hyatt in Bolgatty. Adding glitz to the opening session will be a sample show of the second edition of Champions Boat League (CBL) being organised by Kerala Tourism. The IPL-modelled snake-boat race is scheduled to begin ahead of the Onam festival after the monsoon.
The day after the inauguration, the KTM-2022 venue will shift to the Willingdon Island, where Sagara and Samudrika convention centres will hold two days of hectic business meets. The concluding day on May 8 will provide public access to the pavilions in the two venues.
A green event spread over an area of 1.5 lakh square feet, KTM will facilitate 55,000 business interactions, KTM Society President, Baby Mathew said while addressing a press conference here, “While delegates from 69 countries are set to participate, KTM-2022 will have buyers from 25 states within the country. Domestic buyers total 1,000, while those from abroad will be no less than 240.”
K S Srinivas, Principal Secretary – Tourism, V R Krishna Teja, Director – Kerala Tourism, and E M Najeeb, Past President of KTM Society, were also present.
Last year, the KTM had organized a virtual summit in March, facilitating more than 7,000 business interactions that enabled the travel industry to take major strides in overcoming the Covid triggered economic crisis. That online event saw a virtual buyers’ meet with participants from across the world, including India.
Constituted in 2000, the KTM Society is the country’s biggest organisation in the travel and tourism segment.
Kerala Biz News