To tap deeper into its sixth biggest tourist market, Kerala Tourism has conducted roadshows in Australia promoting the best of 'God's Own Country' in Melbourne and Sydney over the past week.
The roadshows, held after a gap of two years, saw participation from around 70 leading wholesalers, tour operators and travel agents from the said Australian cities, generating significant interest in both new and established offerings in Kerala.
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 major players 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, Tourism Minister, A C Moideen said, hoping the roadshows will lead to more industry tie-ups and greater footfalls to Kerala.
Besides facilitating business to business meetings to help forge new collaborations, the roadshows saw presentations on Kerala's diverse array of attractions and destinations.
"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", said 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, a press release said.
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