Kerala buckles up for M!CE
With its panoply of hotels and resorts, Kerala packs the perfect punch to attract weddings & events.
Kerala is committed to creating a conducive environment for destination weddings, attracting couples from across the world.
The God’s own country with its serene backwaters, attractive beaches, mystic hill stations and tea and spice plantations is a unique destination. The state recorded 159.69 lakh domestic visitors during January-September 2023, resulting in impressive growth of 19.34 per cent, which is a testament that Kerala is a safe and hospitable destination offering an indelible voyage into the state’s beautiful past. To augment events in the state, Kerala Tourism unveiled groundbreaking products to position it as diverse wedding destination during Kerala Tourism B2B Partnership meet in Delhi recently.
With the belief that tourism cannot stay as a stagnant sector, P B Nooh, Director, Kerala Tourism, showcased tourism products, innovative tourism circuits, multiple initiatives taken in terms of investments in infrastructure development, capacity-building projects, and revamped strategies to the wider stakeholders at the event. Nooh explained the gaps in infrastructure and policies to position Kerala as a destination of global standards for M!CE stakeholders.
M!CE & WEDDING TOURISM
Stating that Kerala hosted the G20 Sherpa meeting in Kumarakom, he said that it goes to show the state’s preparedness to organize more such events. Highlighting Kerala’s accommodation capacity, he added, “Kerala is at the forefront when it comes to luxurious hotel brands catering to a range of corporates and trying to plug infrastructure gaps to hold bigger conferences.”
Nooh said, “Kerala is committed to creating a conducive environment for destination weddings, attracting couples from across the world, boosting tourism and local economy.” Kerala’s unique geography boasts scenic destinations making it a coveted place for weddings as well as for honeymooners.
INITIATIVES TO ENTICE EMERGING MARKETS
Post-COVID, Kerala Tourism has been organizing campaigns to introduce its
tourism products and share information about the latest facilities available in the state. In the past two decades, Kerala has been conducting B2B meetings regularly at its regular source markets, including Europe. “We are targeting emerging markets as well, to entice foreign event organizers,” he added.
In terms of policies being drafted by the state, Nooh said, “There are certain gaps in terms of infrastructure development, and we are working on it. To come up to international standards, we are looking for private sector assistance also.” Kerala also held a Tourism Investors Meet in October 2023, which attracted investments worth `15,000 crore last year. To felicitate investors and to exchange information, felicitation centers have been built. Besides, last year it came up with a design policy to provide uniformity throughout the state. Kerala Tourism hopes that upcoming products enthrals the M!CE community. Overall, they are working on filling the gaps in policies to make it an investor-friendly state.