KTM holds 7,000-plus B2B meets

The just-concluded Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) virtual summit facilitated more than 7,000 business meets, taking major strides in overcoming the COVID-induced economic crisis in the state and bringing back the vitality of tourism in a post-pandemic situation.

The government and the KTM society is considering to hold a physical edition in this year, according to Rani George, Principal Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. “The virtual mart went off well and created another history for Kerala Tourism. Yet the importance of a physical mart cannot be ignored,” she said, while speaking at the closing ceremony of the event on March 5.

“The Department of Tourism and the KTM Society are working together to explore ways on holding a physical KTM this year,” the senior bureaucrat noted. “KTM is the ideal stage to showcase Kerala’s post-COVID resurgence.”

Even as the online event emphasized on domestic tourism amid a new world order, the deliberations proved that Kerala’s pre-eminence remains intact on the international travel map, pointed out KTM Society President Baby Mathew Somatheeram.

Just as the five-day meet concluded on March 5, the organisers went on to provide a virtual visit of the KTM till March 10 so as to also communicate with the sellers. This enabled people across the globe to gain wide access to the charms of Kerala’s tourism, Mr. Mathew said.

The KTM edition, which featured 701 buyers (159 international and 542 domestic), saw participants from 38 countries. As for the business meets, 2,660 were with foreign buyers and 4,175 with domestic. Added to this were the meets through online chats, getting the total cross 50,000.

The majority of the international buyers registered were from the US and UK. The others in the category included Brazil, Germany, Spain and Canada, besides Mexico, Oman, UAE and Australia and France.

Most of the domestic buyers were from Maharashtra, a chunk of them based in Mumbai. Delhi, Gujarat and Telangana were among the three other toppers on the list.

KTM Society is the country’s biggest travel and tourism organization. The virtual edition got off to a start on February 28 evening, with state Governor Arif Mohammed Khan inaugurating the country’s biggest tourism meet with a call to highlight domestic tourism for better collaboration among states and greater understanding between people.