British MPs charmed by 'God's Own Country'

Kerala's time-tested Ayurveda and the enchanting backwaters charmed British parliamentarians in a first-time presentation by an Indian state tourism board at Westminster.
Kerala Tourism made the presentation about the state for British MPs at a special meeting held in British Parliament complex on October 11, a press release said here today.
The meeting was led by State Chief Secretary, Jiji Thomson and Tourism Secretary G Kamala Vardhana Rao, who met the British MPs, including many Indian-origin members of the British Parliament.
Thomson and Rao were in the British capital to take part in the 'Mayor of London' event to showcase 'God's Own Country' to a British audience.

The cultural extravaganza, which had 'Mohiniyattam', 'Thiruvathirakali' and 'Kathakali' performances, was held at the iconic Trafalgar Square the same day.
"It was an honour for Kerala to address the British MPs in the parliament complex," Thomson said. "The MPs evinced great interest in Kerala and admired our top status on the global tourism map," he added.

Among those present were Virendra Sharma, Indian-born MP of the West London constituency Ealing, Southall, and Stephen Timms, MP from the suburban East Ham seat.
"We wanted to directly address the British parliamentarians and tell them why the United Kingdom is the biggest tourism market for Kerala in the world," Thomson said.

Two years ago, the British royal couple, Prince Charles and wife Camilla Parker Bowles, had visited Kerala, watching Kathakali in Kochi and celebrating the 65th birthday of the Prince of Wales at the backwaters resort of Kumarakom.
Prominent British visitors to Kerala include the Beatles legend Sir Paul Mcartney.
Last year, Kerala had received 151,497 travellers from the UK. Kerala Tourism's London visit is aimed at increasing the figure substantially during the 'Visit Kerala' year.
The presentation in the British Parliament complex assumed significance because of the many Indian-origin politicians elected to the House of Commons.
"The Indian community members in Britain are the greatest ambassadors of our country," Thomson said, while inviting them to visit and invest in Kerala's tourism sector.

The meeting, held in a Parliament conference hall, was also attended by several prominent members of the large Indian diaspora in Britain.