Kochi: Foreign tour agents believe Kerala can attract honeymooners worldwide with its pristine beaches, picturesque landscape, and balmy weather. The agents attending the 12th edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) in Kochi highlighted the southern state's potential as a honeymoon tourism destination. Impressed by the state's scope, they said they would promote this fascinating facet of Kerala in their respective countries. According to the foreign tour agents who attended the recently concluded event at the Sagara-Samudrika Convention Centre in Kochi's Willingdon Island, honeymoon packages are the most sought-after product from the state’s tourism sector, apart from Ayurveda.  

Veronica Rioseco, a tour agent of Nomades Chile in Chile, who has travelled across India before, is visiting Kerala for the first time to market the state’s honeymoon destinations. “We are focusing on Kerala’s honeymoon packages and family holiday packages. Normally, South American people go to Golden Triangle (Jaipur, Agra and Delhi) but rarely come to South India. But now the scenario is changing,” she observed.  Rioseco said the pristine beaches, picturesque landscape, different people, balmy weather and boating through the backwaters of Kerala are ideal for making it a hub of honeymoon destinations. Diego Celma of Incredible Mundo from Spain said most clients are couples and prefer Kerala for honeymoon trips. This has forced him to introduce a special tour package connecting India and the Maldives.

“After arriving in India, they can spend time in Kerala for honeymoon before proceeding to the Maldives. My package for Kerala also consists of adventure activities like scuba diving,” he said. Celma, a regular attendee at KTM, also revealed that the state’s honeymoon packages have a bigger market in Spain.   Peter Foster, a UK-based Those Travel Guys representative, said the sporting and wellness packages are major selling points for Kerala. “One of the problems of UK doctors is that they don’t recognize holistic therapy and traditional medicine.  Most of our clients are interested in spiritual healing and organic food, so the popularity of Ayurveda is growing,” he noted. 

Foster said the young generation of UK doctors is hardly sceptic about Ayurveda, and post-COVID-19, Zoom and Google meetings are helpful for patients to consult with their physicians in India. As a second-time visitor in Kerala, Olga Gabrus from Russia divulged that Ayurveda packages are in great demand in her country, and she wants to promote them there. 

Of the 808 foreign buyers from 76 countries at KTM 2024, 67 are from the UK, 60 from the Gulf, and 55 from the US. While the buyers from Russia total 34, those from the rest of Europe total 245. There are 41 buyers from Africa; others are from East Asia. Maharashtra (578) tops the domestic buyers, followed by Delhi (340) and Gujarat (263). The buyers at this edition of KTM clocked the highest-ever total of 2,839 (vis-à-vis the standing record of 1,305 in 2018), while the domestic category adds up to 2,035. The expo at the mart will be open for the public on Sunday (September 29) from 2 pm.

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