Kerala Travel Mart 2024, India’s largest tourism event, surpassed all expectations and set new benchmarks in its 12th edition at Kochi. KTM 2024 emerged as Asia’s largest tourism event, attracting over 800 buyers spanning 75 countries and over 2,000 buyers from across India. The event brought together buyers and sellers under one roof to forge or renew business alliances and usher in new collaborations, as more than 75,000 business meetings took place during the event in Kochi, Kerala.
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KTM 2024 – India’s Largest Tourism Travel Mart in Kochi
The Kerala Travel Mart 2024 organized by the Kerala Travel Mart Society and Kerala Tourism, underlined Kerala as a global model for inclusive tourism. The event was not only a great opportunity for global service providers to interact with the sellers from across Kerala, but it was also a wonderful platform where Kerala and its immense cultural treasures were showcased. There were pre-mart and post-mart familiarization tours for the media and the buyers, that showcased the beautiful destinations of Kerala
Kerala Travel Mart 2024 – Bigger And Grander
The 12th edition of the Kerala Travel Mart scaled heights and broke many records of its own. It also explored new frontiers in its quest for excellence, making the event, truly global in nature with its many initiatives. This year the special focus was on the development of Kerala as a destination of choice for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions), Wellness tourism, and a Wedding destination.
Inauguration of Kerala Travel Mart 2024
The Kerala Mart 2024 inauguration venue was the Oman Hall of Le Meridien Kochi. The venue was decked up for the occasion in the colours of Kerala. At the entrance, traditional temple drummers of Kerala, whipped up a euphoric frenzy with their Panchavadyams, setting the tone for what would turn out to be a sizzling display of traditional dance and music.
Even before entering the venue, visitors had an immersive experience of Kerala’s vibes. There was a stall where fresh banana chips were being made, and visitors could relish their aroma and flavour. Elsewhere, steaming hot Unniappams were being gobbled up by excited visitors.
The bright colours of Kalamezhuthu, a traditional ritual art of Kerala in which figures of deities are drawn on the floor with natural powders, enthralled the visitors. A potter sat in front of his potter’s wheel fashioning lovely objects from clay. A live performance of Mudiyettu, a traditional ritual dance of Kerala performed at temples of Bhadrakali, had the visitors riveted with its hypnotic ethos.
As the visitors were engrossed in the immersive vibes of Kerala, Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan arrived at the venue well in time for the inauguration. The action now shifted indoors where the inauguration of Kerala Travel Mart 2024 happened.
Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan declared the event open. He lit the traditional lamp to herald the opening of Kerala Travel Mart 2024, along with Kerala’s Tourism Minister Shri P.A. Mohammed Riyas and other dignitaries from the government, Kerala Tourism, and Kerala Travel Mart Society.
“We envisage a care economy, which will cater to the comforts of the young and the aged alike. That will bring us more investment as well,” said Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan in his inaugural address.
This was followed by an invocation song by noted singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi, and this set the ball rolling for a sizzling display of Kerala’s dance and music.
Kerala Travel Mart 2024 (KTM 2024) – A Stunning Showcase of Kerala’s Culture
After the inauguration by CM Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, the stage erupted in a frenzy of colour, dance, and music, as performers took over the stage. The audience was treated to an enchanting slice of Kerala’s culture which included its music, dance, and martial arts.
The stage came alive with a medley of dance and music, as folk dances of Kerala like Kathakali, Theyyam, and Oppana, and martial arts like Kalaripayattu, took centre stage. The grand finale was when all the performers stormed onto the stage and then mingled with the audience, taking the excitement to a crescendo.
Kerala Travel Mart 2024 – Showcasing Kerala’s Pristine Destinations
On the sidelines of the Kerala Travel Mart 2024, the beautiful destinations of Kerala were showcased to the visiting Buyers and Media in the form of Pre-Mart and Post-Mart tours.
Kerala Travel Mart 2024 – Pre-Mart Tours For Media
Being a part of the domestic media, we were part of the pre-mart tour. Of the many options available we chose a tour that covered the Ayurveda Trail in Kerala. We visited many of the Ayurveda centres and hospitals and also enjoyed special Ayurvedic massages.
Our tour took us to Nattika, a picturesque seaside village in the Thrissur district of Kerala, Palakkad, and the famous Krishna temple of Guruvayoor. We also visited the unique Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda Museum in Thrissur. During our tour, we stayed in several resorts focused on Ayurveda, including Sreechithra Ayurveda in Chavakkad, Au Revoir Wellness Resort in Malampuzha, and Kairali Ayurvedic Healing Village.
Kerala Travel Mart 2024 – Post-Mart Tours For Buyers
The International and Domestic Buyers embarked on a voyage of discovery of Kerala immediately after the event. Some of the destinations showcased included Kannur, Kasargod, Wayanad, Calicut, Marari, Kumarakom, Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey, Munroe Island, Kovalam, and Kollam.
The Post-Mart tour was flagged off from Kochi by KTM Society President Shri Jose Pradeep, in the presence of KTM Society Secretary, S. Swaminathan, Vice President Harikumar, and CEO Raj Kumar. K.
Kerala Travel Mart 2024 – Platform For Buyer-Seller Interaction
Kerala Travel Mart in its 12th edition turned out to be the busiest ever, as visitors converged on the 347 exhibitor stalls in droves. The buyers, both domestic and international had a busy day as they interacted with the sellers from Kerala and inked business deals.
The event saw a record 75,000 business meetings. On the last day of the event, the venue of the Kerala Travel Mart 2024 saw an unprecedented rush as the mart was thrown open to the general public.
KTM Society’s President, Mr Jose Pradeep summed up the event, saying that the four-day mart gifted “invaluable insights and networking connections” to the participants. “Our emphasis on Responsible Tourism is a model for the rest of the world,” he added.
Kerala Travel Mart 2024 – A Forum For Exchange of Ideas
While on the one hand, KTM 2024 showcased Kerala’s culture and destinations, and provided a forum for business interaction, it was also a platform for the exchange of ideas and sharing of best practices. Many panel discussions and presentations that happened during Kerala Travel Mart 2024, ignited fruitful discussions and sharing of ideas. Of the many sessions, one of the noteworthy sessions focused on the journey of women as entrepreneurs in tourism.
Speaking during the session, Dr. Prathibha Madhusudhanan, Founder, of Sree Chithra Ayurveda Academy, said women are at the heart of the hospitality transformation where people are seeking more meaningful travel experiences. She said women Ayurveda entrepreneurs can excel in the sector by blending ancient wisdom with modern hospitality to offer something truly unique for tourists and provide them with immersive experiences in the cultural and social milieu of Kerala.
Kerala Travel Mart 2024 – Curtains With The Valedictory Function
All good things do come to an end, and so did the Kerala Travel Mart 2024, with the valedictory. The valedictory ceremony was presided over by Shri Jose Pradeep, President, KTM. The Chief Guest, Mr D. Venkatesan, Regional Director, India Tourism, addressed the gathering. KTM Vice President Mr Harikumar K.C., besides the society’s former and current top functionaries such as Mr Baby Mathew, Mr E.M. Najeeb, Mr Jibran Asif, Jose Dominic, Mr Jobin Joseph, Mr Riaz Ahmed and Mr Abraham George, as well as Kerala Tourism Director Ms Sikha Surendran, also spoke on the occasion.
Kerala Travel Mart 2024 | KTM 2024
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