As part of a high-pitched promotional campaign in the Middle-East, Kerala Tourism has conducted roadshows in Oman and Bahrain to boost foreign tourist arrivals in the state during the 'Visit Kerala' year.
The roadshow in Oman was held at the Grand Hyatt in the capital city of Muscat on November 23. In Bahrain, it took place at Intercontinental Regency in Manama on November 25, an official release said here today.
"The Middle-East is of special significance to us. We have ties with the Gulf region dating back to centuries," Kerala Tourism Minister A P Anilkumar said.
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Kerala Tourism Director P I Sheik Pareeth, who led the state delegation to Oman and Bahrain, said the two roadshows evoked a tremendous response in the two countries.
"... It is after a gap of five years that Kerala Tourism has conducted roadshows in the Middle-East region," he said.
"The tourists from the Middle-East are mainly focused on our products such as Ayurveda. There is also high demand for luxury accommodation and facilities," he added.
Representatives from over 30 leading tour operating firms took part in the roadshow at Muscat while those from over 40 leading tour operating companies participated at Manama.
The plans of Oman and Bahrain governments to expand air connectivity to Kerala are expected to provide a huge boost to tourist arrivals from the Middle-East, it said.
International airports at Muscat and Salalah are currently undergoing development and will soon serve as the gateway to international travel.
Visa on Arrival facility is currently available to visitors from Oman at all airports in Kerala.
Oman also plans to start new flight to Kerala.
"This will serve Muscat as another hub in the Middle-East and will, in turn, help Kerala to gain better connectivity for visitors to our state," Pareeth said.
Mohammed Al Riyami from the Ministry of Tourism of Oman attended the roadshow in Muscat.
Last year, 17,239 Omani tourists arrived in Kerala while the Bahraini tourists arrivals was 3,674. Oman is one of the top three outbound tourism markets for Kerala in Middle-East.
As many as 14 trade partners from Kerala attended the roadshows in both countries.
Indra Mani Pandey, Ambassador of India to the Sultanate of Oman, was the chief guest at the roadshow in Muscat while in Manama, Alok Kumar Sinha, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Bahrain, was the chief guest.
IRV Rao, Assistant Director, India Tourism in UAE also participated, the release added.
Outlining the initiatives of the government, Sharma said
the government has started round-the-clock helphline for tourists which is available in 12 languages, including Japanese, Chinese and Russian.
Besides, he said tourists landing in India would be handed a "welcome kit" that would consist of a SIM card using which they can communicate.
He said the government is mulling providing "some sort of escorts" for different tourist destinations as well as having a "separate coach" with better facilities in trains going to tourist destinations.
He also called for joint efforts by all the countries, especially of South-East Asian nations, to reap "manifold benefits of tourism".
Among those who attended the event were Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi, Thailand Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Chhattisgarh Tourism Minister Dayal Das Baghel, IATO President Subhash Goyal, UBM Asia Executive Vice President Michael Duck, UBM India Managing Director Yogesh Mudras and Alla Peressolova, Manager, Silk Road Programme and Fairs Programme, UNWTO.
