Country’s Major Tour Operators to Attend B2B Meet at Kovalam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Seeking to firm up partnership with tourism stakeholders in Kerala, major tour operators of the country have converged at Kovalam here for a three-day destination promotion meet that will lead to a slew of business decisions in the next two days.

The campaign is organised by South Kerala Hoteliers Forum (SKHF) in association with Kerala Tourism and Tourism Professionals Club (TPC).

Its objectives include destination promotion, B2B meets to work out mutually beneficial packages to promote prime destinations in the state. The visiting tour operators will be taken through the prime spots in Kovalam, Varkala and nearby Poovar as part of the promotion drive.

Over 120 travel agents and tour operators from key markets like Gujarat, Delhi, Telangana, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu will meet stakeholders from the state, including hotel partners to work out mutually beneficial strategies and packages that would give a tremendous boost to tourism in the state, which has resumed activities in full swing.

The B2B session of tour operators with industry stakeholders to tap on emerging opportunities will be held at KTDC Samudra Resort, Kovalam, on January 7 at 4pm.

Welcoming the initiative, Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas said it’s a clear sign that major tour operators of the country are showing great interest in Kerala as a prime destination that has set a model by successfully overcoming the constraints triggered by the pandemic.

“It can be seen as an outcome of our fool-proof implementation of Covid-19 safety measures like bio-bubble in tourism destinations. Tour operators from across the country are convinced that Kerala is the safest place and the state government will offer all support to their plans,” Riyas said.

Though for time being the focus of the networking initiative is on southern destinations, it will be soon be extended to the other parts of Kerala.

Tourism Director VR Krishna Teja said the B2B meet of the initiative will give a fillip to the tourism sector that has begun to show progress after being hit by the pandemic.

“It’s a great opportunity for tour operators from other states to get a hands-on feel of our beach activities, including adventure tourism at Kovalam and backwater trips at Poovar. They can design attractive packages for the visitors to explore the unexplored areas of these places,” he added.

“Through initiatives of this kind, we aim to give a big boost to the tourism activities in and around south Kerala. We will soon be introducing a set of new & revamped itineraries to encourage more tourists to explore”, said Manoj Babu, Secretary General, South Kerala Hoteliers Forum. (SKHF)

Travel Agent Association of Coimbatore (TAAC), Tour Operators Association of Telangana (TOAT), and Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETTA) are the major industry organisations from various states of the country that are a key part of the programme.