Thiruvananthapuram: Taking forward its strategic plans to rev up the state’s travel and hospitality sector, Kerala Tourism will be holding an investors’ meet in the city on November 16, showcasing immense investment opportunities in destinations, products, and initiatives that firmly mark the state as an all-season experiential tourism hub.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the ‘Tourism Investors Meet’ (TIM), the first such initiative planned on a large scale, at the Hyatt Regency at Thycaud in the city on November 16 at noon.
Minister for Tourism and PWD PA Mohamed Riyas will preside over the opening session, which will be attended by the Planning Board Vice Chairman, Chief Secretary of Kerala, officials from various departments, and investors from India and abroad.
Briefing the media on the salient features of the event, Shri Riyas said here today that the thrust areas and locations that need more investments have been identified and will be unveiled before investors and other stakeholders from India and abroad.
“The tourism sector is a highly promising area for Kerala, whose full investment potential is yet to be tapped effectively. The investors meeting will make major strides in that direction,” Riyas said.
The event, which will be attended by around 350 investors, will unveil before the stakeholders abundant investment opportunities in the tourism sector of Kerala, including hospitality, eco-tourism initiatives, adventure tourism, responsible tourism, and sustainable tourism projects, the Minister said.
It will feature presentations and exhibitions highlighting various tourism investment opportunities across the state. Seminars and workshop sessions on tourism trends, project pitch sessions, roundtable discussions, and B2B meetings are other highlights of the conclave.
The state government has plenty of land and physical assets at its disposal at locations of immense tourism possibilities all over Kerala, which need to be developed in a sustainable manner to turn the entire state into one of the world’s prime all-weather experiential tourism hubs.
Noting that the highly transient nature of tourism in the present-day world calls for new strategies and approaches, the Minister said it is vital for Kerala to update, upgrade, and reorient the vital sector to keep up with current trends, demands, and choices by attracting more investment in promising locations and products.
Kerala Tourism is set to make a strategic stride from a strong foundation assiduously built over the last 25 years, based on a robust state-industry partnership. The ensuing Tourism Investors Meet will further deepen and broaden this collaboration, which has been the underpinning of Kerala’s success story as a viable tourism model, recognised and appreciated by stakeholders all over the world.
Riyas said new ideas, practices, and products by investors need to be leveraged by means of joint ventures, public-private partnership (PPP) models, and operational arrangements.
Riyas said a special facilitation center will be set up at the Tourism Directorate in the state capital for providing services to investors and taking forward their projects in the sector. It will impact the state’s economy and create job opportunities, apart from bringing about a holistic change in the tourism sector, he added.
Riyas also unveiled the logo of the Tourism Investors Meet on the occasion. K. Biju, Secretary, Tourism, who was present at the press meet, said the event is also an effort to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to the state’s GDP from 10 percent to 12 percent. He said the conclave is expected to yield substantial investment.
Tourism Director Nooh said despite the pandemic and unrest in various parts of the world, more than 1.88 crore visitors, including domestic as well as foreign tourists, came to Kerala in 2022.
The Tourism Investors Meet will set the stage for investors to familiarise themselves with various opportunities in Kerala. The land parcels owned by tourism as well as other departments will be showcased at the event, Nooh said.
Kerala Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Smt Sikha Surendran and KTIL Managing Director Dr Manoj Kumar K were also present.
