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Growing Arab tourist traffic boosts Kerala tourism revenues

K.C. Venugopal, the state's Minister for Tourism, said as the only superbrand in Asia, Kerala is all set to increase its share of outbound travellers from the Gulf sector. "With our increased interaction with the trade fraternity from the Middle East and Europe, we expect to have a bigger boom in tourist traffic to the state."

Speaking from his office in Kerala, the minister, who is due to arrive today at the ATM, said Kerala and the Middle East have been closely associated in trade and commerce for centuries. "And to many Keralites, the Arabian Gulf is a home away from home. The past few years has seen a meteoric rise in the number of Arab visitors to Kerala for purposes other than trade."

"The recent grand and gold awards from Pacific Asia Travel Association and other coveted awards like being the finalist at the World Travel and Tourism Council awards and Best Performing State at the National level, make Kerala one of the most acclaimed destinations of the millennium. Today, the focus of the state is more on unique ecotourism packages like jungle trails, plantation tours, nature walks and so on, in keeping with the growing needs of the new-age traveller," he said.

According to E. K. Bharat Bhushan, Principal Secretary to Kerala Tourism, the state's growing recognition as one of the must-see destinations is luring an increased tourist flow from overseas, which last year rose to 400,000. On top to that, the state, billed as God's Own Country, attract some six million domestic tourists, he said yesterday at the Kerala stand at the Arab Travel market.