A bridge over the Valiyaparamba backwaters in northern Malabar. With the commissioning of Kannur international airport, the northern region is expected to give a big boost to the state’s tourism.

By Ashraf Padanna/Gulf Times Correspondent/Thiruvananthapuram


Encouraged by the response it received at the Arabian Travel Mart held in Dubai in May, Kerala Tourism is conducting a series of roadshows in the Gulf region.
The tourism board last week held roadshows in Oman and Bahrain and the organisers say the response was equally good.
They also expect more holidaymakers from the region to visit the state this season being observed as ‘Visit Kerala’ year.
In 2014, more than 100,000 tourists from the Gulf visited the state.
“The Middle East is of particular significance to us,” Kerala Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar said in a statement here congratulating his officials yesterday.
“We have ties with the Gulf region dating back to centuries. This is a region close to us also because of a large number of our people working in these countries.”
Kerala Tourism Director P I Sheik Pareeth, who led the state delegation to Oman and Bahrain, said the two roadshows evoked a tremendous response.
“The response from the trade in both countries during the roadshows was highly encouraging,” he said. “It’s after a gap of five years that Kerala Tourism conducted roadshows in the Middle East.”
The tourists from the Gulf are mainly focused on products such as Ayurveda and value medical tourism. There is also high demand for luxury accommodation and facilities.
Representatives from over 30 leading tour operating companies participated in the roadshow in Muscat while there were 40 participants at the Manama event.
“The warm, equable, climate of the state and the monsoon seasons are key factors that would draw tourists from the Gulf,” he said.
“The visitors from the region are also interested in benefiting from Ayurveda. With the Visit Kerala promotional campaign progressing on a war-footing, I’m sure there will be massive increases in arrivals from these countries.”
I R V Rao, assistant director, India Tourism, UAE, also participated in the two events, where the state’s tourism products centring around its beaches, backwaters and hill stations were showcased.