Kerala is back!

The vintage Kerala is almost back to its pristine glory with little or no trace of floods or its resulting disruptions to tourism movement or destination experience visible anywhere. If the recent floods across Kerala was catastrophic and most severe in the last 100 years with estimates of damages varying across a staggering 20,000 to 30,000 crores, then the state of Kerala also came together across sectors, public and private, institutions, individuals, businesses to surmount an unprecedented effort of rehabilitation and rebuilding, although still ongoing, that shows a Kerala, in less than three weeks of a devastating flood, as it was, alluring, enchanting, welcoming, God’s own country.

If tourism is Kerala’s economic mainstay, KTM is ‘The’ event that has showcased the state most effectively to trade buyers from across the country and globe in order to make that happen. A deferred or cancelled KTM would have sent out messages to industry buyers from all over the world to the detriment of tourism in Kerala. And only three weeks ago, virtually the entire tourism and hospitality industry was writing off KTM 2018 as an event either cancelled or postponed in the aftermath of the devastating flood.

However, landed in Kochi on 22nd September, a key tourism hotspot of the state, and interacted with some of the key tourism industry stakeholders over the course of the day and further travelled to Alleppy, Kumarakom, Thekkady, and Marari over the next few days before I am back to Kochi in time for KTM on 27^th, I see a Kerala that is as ready to welcome tourists from across the country and globe as it was on any of my previous visits.

I see an industry that is even more resolute than ever before. And I see the forthcoming edition of KTM that kick-starts in just a few days on 27th not just strongest ever, but far more bigger in attendance than any previous editions, be it the buyers or the exhibitors.

KTM is not just alive and kicking, its hosting close to 600 international buyers from over 66 countries, far more than the 350 odd international buyers who attended the show in the previous edition. Its  contingent of international media is the largest ever, and together with members of press from across India, are being taken to almost every corner of the state to visit and see the various tourism hotspots strewn all across Kerala and the state’s tourism preparedness that is as good as ever, or even better as some of the stakeholders I met today, said.

I have covered all editions of KTM since 2008, but have restricted myself to attending and covering the mart and business meetings. Five days of leisure travel is like a distant dream for me especially in the month of September which usually comes with a busy calendar events. This year such as Annual Convention of IATO, recently concluded IATO Convention, the first edition of International Travel Mart earlier this week in Delhi, the annual FHRAI Convention in Lucknow that concluded yesterday, KTM in Kochi and the TAFI Convention that starts the day after in Abu Dhabi; this familiarisation tour would have been unthinkable.

But this year was different, besides the organisers insisted that I experience the destination first hand, clearly an effective statement about the state’s tourism readiness or as some were calling earlier in the evening as a ‘New Kerala’ or ‘Second Version of Kerala’.