What is Kerala Travel Mart

Kerala Travel Mart 2022, Cochin

Tourism is a major contributor to the economy of Kerala. Be it the luxury resorts in Kerala or the houseboats, the tourism industry is impatient to have travellers back to their shores. The 11th Kerala Travel Mart 2022 was a grand initiative to kickstart the process. Kerala Travel Mart dates 2022 were 5 – 8 May. KTM was a process to learn more about Kerala. Where to travel in Kerala, why to visit Kerala, tourist places near Kerala, and many such questions were addressed at the event. Buyers, sellers, and journalists, not only from Kerala or India but all across the globe would not let go of this opportunity to get back to normalcy.

Ktm Pre-mart Tour for Media

We were attending KTM 2022 as domestic media. By way of courtesy by KTM, we were fortunate to have been selected for a 5 days-long pre-mart tour from the backwaters to the hills of Kerala. This tour was an orientation to the enormous travel potential Kerala had to offer, by way of nature, art, culture, food, adventure, and other experiences.

Our pre-mart tour covered diverse attractions such as the famed backwaters, the houseboat in Allepey, Kerala; the tea gardens of Munnar, a taste of the traditional meal Sadhya and a walk-through of the idyllic Fort Kochi area in Cochin.

KTM Boat Race

On 5th May, Kerala Travel Mart 2022 was launched in style with Vallam Kali, the traditional snake boat race in Kerala. The boat race tradition went back centuries and was traditionally a speciality during Onam, the harvest festival.

The KTM committee had organised a mini boat race, under the IPL-modelled Champions Boat League to give the visitors a taste of this unique spectacle of this state.

While we had watched many boat races on television before, we now realised it was nothing like the real thing. The race started with boating exercises that the 4 teams participated in with well-synchronised coordination. The snake-shaped canoes, with countless oarsmen, glided proudly through the water, their heads held up like the proud cobra. There was neck-to-neck competition among the 4 teams when they reached the finish line. Conch shells, whistles, hooting, and cheering from the shores completed the experience.

Cultural Performances at Ktm Opening

After the boat race, we went inside a hall overflowing with Kerala Tourism standies and buntings. The stage was designed with traditional woodwork and flowers. An array of cultural performances started the evening.

Kerala is a treasure house of traditional dance forms. We all know about the grand Kathakali, one of the 9 classical dances of India. Mohiniattyam of Kerala, another classical dance form has also been included in this list. It was a visual treat for us when artists came together and performed these classical dances along with Kalarippayattu, the martial art, and Pulikali, the fun Tiger Dance. Such an enthralling introduction to the cultural music and dance heritage of Kerala was a befitting opening for the grand event.

Lighting the Traditional Lamp

A host of eminent people involved in the travel sector took the stage for the main session for the evening. Mr. Baby Matthew, President of KTM, delivered the welcome address. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan inaugurated the event by lighting the deepam, the traditional brass lamp. He emphasised that all the states of India should come hand-in-hand to revive tourism, the worst-hit sector during the pandemic. Entrepreneur M.A. Yusuf Ali was the guest of honour. Speeches by the signatories and many colourful presentations on Kerala kept us engaged throughout the session.

Networking Dinner and Live Music

The inauguration proceedings were followed by a grand dinner. The starters were served on the lawns. A live band regaled the attendees with many old numbers. The main course was served in a hall inside. We went for a host of Kerala special dishes like the Meen Molee (fish curry), prawn, squid and fish fries, iddiappams, Kerala style biryani, and whole drain kheer or Payasam for dessert.

A second dinner reception was held the following evening on 7th May. The venue this time was the grand halls of Le Meridien. A live band entertained us here as well. We had a great time chatting with other travel bloggers as well as new people from the world of the travel trade. We were staying at Holiday Inn, Kochi. When we came back to our hotel last night, we almost passed away still heady over the fun evening.

KTM 2022 Exhibition

The real proceedings started the following day, 6th May 2022 at Samudrika Convention Centre, Willingdon Island. KTM gates, boards, banners, and buntings across Cochin, as well as Willingdon Island in Kochi, made us realise the significance of the travel mart.

The colossal event witnessed some frenzied networking among approximately 1500 buyers and sellers from somewhere around 70 countries. More than a whopping 55000 meetings were held in this period. Some new trends also emerged.

Traditionally, foreign travelers would spend a longer time here but Indian travelers would come with a pre-planned 4 to 6 days itinerary. Domestic travel has multiplied during the pandemic years. What with work-from-home and online classes, people from other parts of India would travel to Kerala and now spend longer duration here. The tourism trade in Kerala was therefore now shifting focus to Indian travelers via travel agents and tour operators.

Responsible Tourism in Kerala

Last but not least, what impressed us most was Kerala’s commitment to responsible tourism. The Responsible Tourism Mission was to “making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.” During the pre-mart tours, we were mighty impressed to see responsible tourism practices in the most popular backwater areas of Alleppey and Kumarakom. This was an inclusive experience where the locals and tourists would work together to sustain the ecosystem.

Why visit Kerala Travel Mart

This piece would remain incomplete as to what was our take home from KTM. If you are in the travel industry, why should you visit KTM?

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For one, this was not just another travel fair. It was the largest B2B travel fair in India. Second, the participants came from across the globe. There were foreign buyers, sellers, tour operators, agents, property representatives, and even foreign media. You would thus get exposure like nowhere else. Third, apparently, more than 55000 direct meetings between buyers and sellers took place during the 4 days of KTM. If you are in the travel industry, this could be a huge networking opportunity.

As a travel enthusiast, KTM was an eye-opener. We could see how big was the travel market. The competitiveness of the stakeholders was invigorating, to say the least.

We were also fortunate to have been selected for a 5 days-long pre-mart tour from the backwaters to the hills of Kerala. This tour was an orientation to the enormous travel potential Kerala had to offer, by way of nature, art, culture, food, adventure, and other experiences. We are still a bit overwhelmed by all the beautiful sights.

Delhi to Kerala travel time is approximately 3 hours by flight. We are back in Delhi with many cards, brochures, and mind-blowing experiences after almost 10 days. Our take-home for Kerala Travel Mart 2022 is that we were coming back again to see and show more of God’s Own Country.

P.S. This post is in collaboration with the Kerala Travel Mart Society, Kerala Tourism, the Government of Kerala, and Incredible India. Our wholehearted thanks for the riveting experiences.