Tourism Minister to open KTM Society’s flagship event

 The second edition of the virtual Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), the flagship event of Kerala’s tourism apex forum KTM Society, will be held from May 9 to 12, seeking to reach out to trade partners, stakeholders and tourists across the world by leveraging digital tools amid a remarkable turnaround in pandemic-hit travel and tourism activities.

Tourism Minister Shri P.A. Mohamed Riyas will inaugurate Kerala Travel Mart 2023 (KTM 2023) through videoconferencing on May 9 at 7 pm. Minister for Finance Shri K.N. Balagopal will deliver the keynote address and Minister for Law, Industries & Coir Shri P. Rajeeve will be the Guest of Honour on the occasion.

Kerala Tourism Principal Secretary Shri K.S. Srinivas will preside over the opening session where Tourism Director Shri P.B. Nooh will deliver the introductory speech. KTM President Shri Baby Mathew Somatheeram will deliver the welcome address and KTM Secretary Shri Jose Pradeep will propose a vote of thanks.  

Besides business meets, seminars on live themes, led by officials, experts and stakeholders, will be held as part of the event, offering insights into the latest trends in the tourism sector the world over and Kerala’s position as a major experiential tourism destination.

There will be virtual business meets for three days from May 10 from 11.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m., while seminar sessions are scheduled from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on these days.

A biennial event, KTM held a physical conclave last year, which had an overwhelming participation of delegates and stakeholders from many countries, marking the resilience in the tourism sector of Kerala.

The first edition of virtual KTM, held in 2021, saw a total of 44,500 business meetings and online discussions. The maiden edition triggered a remarkable initiative towards the marketing strategies of Kerala Tourism in the new normal and could showcase the new products and experiences to the outer world and helped rebuild Kerala’s tourism sector.

Organisers said KTM 2023 would be a great opportunity for the members to avail the virtual stalls free of cost. It will also enable those members who have missed the KTM 2022, one of the biggest tourism marts conducted in India post COVID-19, to stay connected with their counterparts.

The inaugural session will also be attended by Past Presidents of KTM Shri Jose Dominic; Shri E.M. Najeeb, Shri Riaz Ahmed and Shri Abraham George.  

KTM has come up with an online sellers’ presentation to provide assistance to the members in booking of stalls, stall designing, booking of advertisement slots and scheduling appointments with buyers.

In March 2021, the KTM organized a virtual summit that enabled the travel industry to evolve strategies to overcome the COVID-triggered economic recession.  

The 2000-constituted KTM Society is the country’s biggest organisation in the travel and tourism segment.