On a global outreach drive with a clutch of new products and initiatives, Kerala Tourism is making its presence felt at FITUR, the world’s second most important tourism fair that is under way in Spain’s capital Madrid.
Kerala’s participation in FITUR comes in the wake of the State Tourism department kicking off a major campaign to increase international tourist footfalls after the pandemic-induced lull.
Kerala Tourism’s pavilion at the fair, featuring images of the State’s unique festivals, was jointly inaugurated by Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas and Indian Ambassador to Spain Dinesh Patnaik. The deliberations at the fair have strengthened Kerala’s expectations of an increase in the arrivals of tourists from Spain in the upcoming season.
The trade partners of Kerala Tourism in the fair are CGH Earth, Abad Hotels and Resorts, Somatheeram Ayurveda Group, and Travel Corporation (India). An important European market for Kerala, 18,947 tourists from Spain visited the State in the year before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kerala Tourism has come out with a raft of new projects and events to turn the State into an all-season destination.
King visits pavilion
Mr. Riyas, who is heading the Kerala delegation to the five-day fair, had a meeting with King Felipe VI of Spain, who inaugurated the 43rd edition of FITUR, a key meeting point of tourism stakeholders and professionals from around the world. King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain visited the Incredible India Pavilion at the fair after the inauguration.
Introducing new destinations, conceptualising innovative tourism circuits, investing in infrastructure development, broadening the award-winning Responsible Tourism initiative which allows tourists to experience village life and local communities to benefit from the visits, and ensuring better connectivity are the new focus areas of the State’s rejigged tourism initiatives.
