Kerala Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Monday said the ongoing fifth Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) was a grand success in terms of participation from the tourism industry from world over.
Speaking to media persons in Kochi, he said the increased number of participants, number of products showcased and new properties brought to the mart were ample proof to the success. Efforts made to promote ?responsible tourism? practices in the state was one of the main focus of the just concluded mart, he said.
Pointing out that KTM was a perfect example of the synergy between the public and private sector, joining hands for the promotion of tourism in the state, he said in the past two years, there had been significant growth in the tourism sector of Kerala.
Last year there was a 20 per cent growth in the foreign tourist inflow and a 25 per cent increase in revenue, he said, adding Kerala had become the prime tourist destination in the country.
Domestic tourism also needed to be encouraged alongside foreign tourism, he said and pointed out that there was a 22 per cent growth in domestic tourists in the state last year.
Signing of the draft agreement of India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) tripartite agreement was the highlight of the fifth KTM. The IBSA initiative aims to extend South-South cooperation in many sectors, he said.
The IBSA formation, started in 2003, had now gained momentum as a cross-continental, trilateral forum that was now ?beginning to be noticed by the rest of the world?, he said.