Kerala Tourism celebrated a record-breaking turnout in Australia last week, with more than 100 Australian travel professionals across Sydney and Melbourne in attendance.
The afternoon began with an ‘Hour of Power’, where wholesalers met with four hotel partners and two tour operators from Kerala in a speed-dating style. Followed by the arrival of travel advisors and media for networking before moving into presentations.
Kerala Tourism’s Secretary, Biju K. IAS gave guests an update on what’s new in the destination, including the growing emphasis on wellness tourism, nature and cultural festivals.
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Giles Gilbert, ANZ Regional Manager from airline partner, Malaysia Airlines, which flies to two destinations within Kerala – Kochi and Trivandrum – provided an update on what’s new for the airline.
IAS described the roadshow as a great success, demonstrating a keen interest in Kerala’s distinctive experiences among Australians.
“We’re pleased with the great success of the Kerala Roadshow, which reaffirmed Kerala’s appeal to Australians with a strong interest in its special experiences from scenic backwaters to its responsible tourism initiative. We look forward to welcoming more visitors to experience the beauty and warmth of ‘God’s Own Country’”, he said.
To cap off the evening, a prize draw awarded two lucky attendees round-trip flights to Kerala and a seven-night stay. The Sydney winner was Chris Maxfield from Flight Centre and Melbourne’s winner was Andrew Denishensky from Entourage Travel.
Pictured from left are: Kerrin Trenorden; Caroline Potts; Annabel Staines; Thijmen Wijman; Joe Walker, GTI Tourism; Anu Praveen, Kerala Tourism; and Mia Ingham, GTI Tourism.
