Kerala Travel Mart renews itself despite countercurrent

Kochi: The ninth edition of the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) is taking place at a time when Kerala Tourism is showing signs of hitting a saturation point in terms of its brand pull due to a variety of reasons. The absence of a clear-cut strategy, the successful replication of Brand Kerala by others, laxity in the regulatory system and ad-hoc policy environment are some of the issues facing the tourism sector in the state. The KTM, rated as the biggest business to business (B2B) meeting of the tourism industry in the state, may not be the right venue for a brainstorming on structural challenges facing the sector.

At a trade event such as KTM, majority of participants will be more attuned in entering into concrete deals than pondering over policy level issues. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, KTM society president Abraham George said this edition is important on three significant factors. The meeting is taking place in the background of the tourism trade in the state adopting a nine-point charter as part of the social responsibility that would help place the sector in a more a sustainable pedestal. The idea of developing Spice Route covering 12 countries from Europe to Asia as a distinct destination of travel and knowledge is the second important factor.

Thirdly, the participation of 10 more countries for the first time shows that resilience of tourism sector in the state and the role of KTM as a catalyst for its development. On the challenges, he said, is competition from countries such as Sri Lanka and it needed to be met in a more efficient and systematic manner. The newly emerging markets can afford to provide discounted pricing and attractive packages. “We needed to counter the competition with innovative products, packages and destinations,” he said.

"A stable policy environment is crucial for the sector. We needed to have a clear idea on matters like prohibition. Tourism industry cannot afford to have midnight knocking regime under the guise of searching for hidden bottles of beer or liquor.” On the fall in quality of destinations such as Munnar concerning the environment, the KTM honcho said the adoption of the nine-point charter by the industry would help to roll back such a trend. “We have identified nine important destinations on a priority basis to implement the charter. The industry will be joining hands with the respective local bodies for measures such as effective waste removals, cleanliness and other measures needed to keep a destination in its best quality,” he said.