Kerala Tourism is planning to tap the new markets of Hungary, Malaysia, and New Zealand.
Roadshows will be held in Budapest (Hungary) on September 30, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) on September 23, and Auckland (New Zealand) on October 20.
A senior official of Kerala Tourism told The Hindu that the decision to venture into new markets was taken after analysing tourist arrival statistics to the State and since these countries were “relatively unaffected” like Australia and Scandinavian countries by economic crisis.
Industry’s demandThe travel trade had also been demanding that new markets such as Malaysia be explored. Better air connectivity and the decision to extend the tourist-visa-on-arrival to more countries also played a part in the decision.
The State’s tourism prospects will also be marketed for the third consecutive year in Australia and for the second time in Japan to take advantage of the tourist-visa-on-arrival.
Kerala Tourism has finalised the international travel fairs 2014-15 and roadshows, stretching till February 2015, in which it will take part.
The trade fairs are Top Resa, Paris, from September 23; Jata Travel Mart, Tokyo; World Travel Mart, London; and FITUR in Madrid.
Roadshows will be held at Moscow (Russia), Sydney and Melbourne (Australia), Oslo (Norway), Copenhagen (Denmark), Helsinki (Finland), France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden.
Foreign tourist arrival in 2013 was 8,58,143 compared to 7,93,696 in 2012.
Foreign exchange earnings from tourism sector in 2013 went up by 21.63 per cent to register Rs.5,56,077 lakh.
