To tap deeper into its sixth biggest tourist market, Kerala Tourism has conducted roadshows in Australia, in Melbourne and Sydney over the past week. The roadshows, held after a gap of two years, saw participation from around 70 wholesalers, tour operators and travel agents from the said Australian cities.
With inbound tourism from Australia on the uptick – accounting for 35,244 foreign tourist arrivals in 2015 – the campaign was timely ahead of the official start to the tourist season in November. Kerala Tourism director U V Jose led a delegation that included representatives of 12 companies from across the state’s tourism trade industry.
“Kerala is already a well-known brand in Australia. Upon seeing the surge in tourist arrivals from the lucrative and emerging market, both the government and tourism stakeholders were keen to better explore and exploit the potential,” said Tourism Minister, A C Moideen, hoping the roadshows will lead to more industry tie-ups and greater footfalls to Kerala.
“With improved air-connectivity and ease-of-travel between the Asia-Pacific region and Kerala, there has been an impressive growth in arrivals from Down Under. By increasing the state’s exposure in major metropolises and focusing on its new tourism products, experiences and hitherto untapped destinations, this trend figures to only continue upward,” added Dr Venu V, principal secretary (tourism), Kerala.
Rakesh Malhotra, Consul of India, Melbourne, and Dr Vinod Bahade, Deputy Consul General, Sydney, were both chief guests at the events in their respective cities.
(PTI)
