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Sankar Radhakrishnan

Thiruvananthapuram , Sept. 24

THE first six months of this year have been rather good for State tourism if one goes by the figures released recently by the Department of Tourism. In the January-June period, the number of international visitors to the State went up by over 27 per cent when compared to the same period last year. And when the international arrivals for July are added, this figure is expected to cross 28 per cent.

While interesting in itself, what distinguishes this performance is that many of these international visitors were from `new' markets, says Mr Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Director, Department of Tourism, Kerala Government. Similarly, he points out that the State received some 20,000 international visitors in June and July, traditionally considered the `off' season for tourism in the State.

One factor that has contributed to this change is the aggressive marketing of Kerala in non-traditional markets such as the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe and also in West Asia, Mr Sharma declares. Effective participation in trade shows such as the Arabian Travel Mart in Dubai and marketing efforts in individual countries has paid off, he explains.

Equally successful have been the efforts to promote visits to the State during the monsoon months using ayurveda as a peg, Mr Sharma explains. Many international visitors were influenced by a marketing campaign based on the traditional belief that ayurvedic treatment is more effective during the monsoon months, he says.

And while a majority of those who visited Kerala this year came from `traditional' markets such as the UK, France and Germany, there has been a perceptible increase in visitors from countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Yugoslavia and Israel. While the numbers may not yet be huge, the travel industry is extremely upbeat on the potential of these new markets.

"The last few months have been extremely good for us, with lots of high-end visitors from the `Gulf ' coming to Kerala," says Mr K.C. Chandrahasan, Managing Director, Kerala Travels Interserve Ltd. The company has already hosted several groups of senior executives from some of the largest oil companies in West Asia, he points out.

"No one expected so much inbound traffic from West Asia," he confesses.

Though the West Asian market may not generate large volumes, the realisation from each high-end traveller from this region will be rather high, explains Mr Chandrahasan. Visitors from the `Gulf' are known to spend large amounts on shopping expeditions and also on ayurveda.

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