Various factors such as the State’s liquor policy, competition, and slowdown may have dented the prospects of Kerala tourism sector in the last few seasons. However, the sector can bounce back if it rolls out new products focusing on ‘experience tourism’, said Rakshit Desai, Managing Director, FCM Travel Solutions and Flight Shop, the top five global travel management providers.

Focus on ‘experience’ He said worldwide international tourist preference is fast changing. Earlier if it was “rest, restaurant and site-seeing”, but now it is all about experience.

“We need to create an entertainment experience coupled with world class food and beverage to woo travellers to Kerala”, he said, citing the case of Japan, which made Japanese cuisine a globally accepted food and beverage brand.

Desai, in an interaction with Business Line, said that the easing of Visa on Arrival rules in India has enabled increased tourists flow, especially from Scandinavian countries, South East Asia, Brazil and China.

Greater opportunity His company, which manages the travel programmes of world’s leading corporate brands, foresees greater opportunity for Kerala Tourism from these emerging markets.

Desai’s remarks assume significance when the recent study conducted by Kerala Tourism indicated a 6-7 per cent drop in foreign and domestic tourist arrivals and a 20 per cent rise in foreign tourist arrivals to neighbouring Sri Lanka.

He was in Kochi to open Flight Shop, the company’s 15{+t}{+h} store and the second Forex led store in the country after launching its currency exchange business, Travel Money, at Jalandhar early this year.

Forex market He said the demand from NRI visitors, increasing frequency of leisure travel and students travelling for education have made Kerala one of the biggest foreign exchange markets.

Answering a question, Desai said the leisure and corporate travel market is passing through a critical phase in the wake of currency and crude price fluctuations, global slowdown etc. As it is difficult to build national and regional brands, leading companies are now on a consolidation mode and collaborating with small players in the business, he added.

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