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Malabar’s Mystique On Display At Travel Mart
Pramod Kumar T
Malabar’s mega tourism promotion event,
‘Mystiques Of Malabar - A Travel Mart’, unfolded in the ‘natural’ ambience of
Kadavu Resort in Kozhikode from August 14, 2003 for three days. A first in the
history of Malabar, the event was celebrated with much pomp and delight. E Ahmed,
member of Parliament, inaugurated the mart in an atmosphere full of gaiety and
enthusiasm. Speaking on the occasion, he said that Malabar deserves more exposure
considering its rich culture and history. He said the region has given birth
to two Jnanapeeth award winners and some prominent Malayalam writers.
The inaugural address of Sikander Bakht,
governor of Kerala, read by Alkesh Kumar Sharma, director of Kerala Tourism,
termed the state as a sunny land housing sunnier people. His address pointed
out that shortsighted tourism policies will backfire and culture should be handled
and marketed sensitively.
The event was kicked off after Kozhikode
Mayor Thottathil Raveendran lit the traditional lamp. Other dignitaries present
were K Muraleedharan, MP; T Balakrishnan, secretary department of tourism, government
of Kerala and NK Muhammed, president, Malabar Tourism Board. Acultural extravaganza
was staged at the end of the day.
Day 2
On the second day, both buyers and sellers
were busy bargaining. The stalls were replete with innovative tourism products.
Gigantic forts, the wilderness of sanctuaries,
palm fringed silver beaches, the healing touch of Ayurveda, the aroma of spices
and cuisine and the wide mosaic of culture assembled together under one roof
was a delight to watch.
The major highlight of the day was a mock
wedding ceremony of a Malabar Muslim couple for Mart visitors and delegates.
Heavily bejewelled girls danced with their bangles sounding like the chattering
of birds. It was a feast for every eye and the audience retreated reluctantly
from the stage.
Amidst the festivities, the inaugural session
of the seminar began at 3 pm. The front row of VIP seats had DB Inamdar, minister
of tourism & IT, Karnataka; Ram Kohli of PATA; Professor K Raveendran of
School of Planning and Architecture; S Krishnan, general manager (south), SITA
World Travel; Professor S M Muhammed Koya. While inaugurating the seminar session,
the minister hoped to develop a joint tourism strategy for southern Karnataka
and Malabar. He said, "Especially in the domestic tourism sector we can do a
lot. IT professionals and the middle class are to be targeted for this. Even
today a lot of IT professionals from Bangalore are coming to Wayanad for visit."
He praised the Kerala government for organising
an event like this. "We plan to organise an event like this during Dasara in
Mysore," he said.
K T Raveendran spoke about Malabar architecture
and its simplicity. "Integral relation between nature and culture is amazing
in Malabar," he pointed out. Short slides were presented along with his speech.
S Krishnan, GM (South) SITA World travels, explained that Kumarakom, Wayanad
and house boats are some unique products for SITA in Kerala. "Some of our USPs
are Periyar, Kochi and Kovalam," he said. Alkesh Kumar Sharma hoped to put 150
air-conditioned stalls in the next travel mart.
Day 3
The last day had another seminar which
had the participation from luminaries of the hospitality industry like Captain
C P Krishnan Nair, chairman cum managing director, Leela Group of Hotels; Professor
Pushpesh Pant; Jose Dominic, managing director, Casino group of hotels and Ram
Kohli of PATA. In the keynote address Captain Nair said that Bekal beach and
Kannur airport would change the face of Malabar. "People of this industry stand
for ethics and this is what Leela follows," he said.
"The uniqueness of the product is very
important for success in marketing," said Jose Dominic. After the seminar, at
a valedictory function held at Panthal Hall, the Kerala Assembly Speaker Vakkom
Purushothaman spoke about putting Kerala as an international tourist destination.
He said, "The virginity of the land has to be maintained. The natural beauty
of this place is comparable with any tourist place in the world."
KV Thomas, minister of tourism, government
of Kerala said that the Travel Mart shows the government’s desire to place Malabar
in the tourist map of Kerala.
(The author is secretary, YHAI, Kannur, Kerala.
He can be contacted at tpramodnair@rediffmail.com;
pramodkumaryhai@yahoo.com)
- Best home stay: Tranquil, a plantation hideaway in Wayanad
- Best DTPC: Kozhikode
- Best exhibitor state: Karnataka
- Best exhibitor stall: Portraits of Paradise, Palakkad
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Kerala Assembly Speaker Vakkom Purushothaman inaugurating the valedictory
function of ‘Mystiques of Malabar’ at ‘Panthal’, Kadavu Resorts, Kozhikode
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