Kerala Travel Mart 2004 An Eagle’s Eye View

Point Blank

By Hugh & Colleen Gantzer

The setting was ideal Le Meridien Hotel and International Convention Centre, with its appropriately green roofs, overlooks a serene backwater where lonely fishermen spread their nets at dawn. Also, very appropriately, it rained occasionally: messages from heaven to His very Own Country, possibly! But the rain did not deter the 122 sellers of various categories and the 500 international and 250 Indian buyers. The international buyers came all the way from US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Trinidad & Tobago, China, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Tanzania,Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt and Israel. Though some reports have said that there were 900 buyers, this was the figure of those who had been registered, not of those who actually collected their badges and participated in the Mart.

From the comments we recorded, speaking to a fair cross-section of both buyers and sellers, everyone was very happy with the way the mart had been conducted. They were, however, far from happy with the way that the government had run the inaugural. But that is another, sadder, story (See Box)

According to E M Najeeb, president of the KTM Society, 'I have received very good feedback from both buyers and sellers. Their response has been very positive and they are very satisfied with their interactions. Our sellers feel that they have had a great opportunity to meet buyers from all over the world: people who are focused on Kerala? Another point of view was expressed by Jill Twizell from New castle, Britain. She and her husband are researching small hotels and home-stay's for the travel agency they plan to start. They read about the Mart in The Hindu, registered, and have found it very useful. Still another dimension was brought out by KA Abdul Samad of Blackberry Hills. He intends to open his resort shortly and he was delighted because the mart has enabled him to meet potential buyers and other contacts. Among the new overseas buyers was Tassanee Kotwone of JNT Travel and Trading, Bangkok. She said that they were looking at Kerala for Ayurvedic Spas. Such spas are very popular with Thais. Tassanee's company hopes to combine such spas with the northern Buddhist trail.

There was also a slightly negative feedback. Viadimir A. Volodin of East Line Travel Company of Moscow, said that they bring four charters a week to Goa and they are now looking at Kerala. They have signed an agreement with Green Globe Tourism, Kochi, But, Olena Paul of Green Globe says that they can't bring tourists this season because the Meridien is closed and the Taj hasn't completed its property in Kovalam. They have, however, brought fifteen travel agents from Ukraine, a new market. Though Rakesh Sapru, CEO of Mercury Travels had no negative comments, he did feel that the KTM Committee might consider introducing the system prevailing in the PATA Travel Marts. There, every buyer is expected to make at least 20 appointments with various sellers. And if he defaults in meeting three of these appointments, he is blacklisted. Initially, this can be reduced to ten appointments in future KTMs but unless such a requirement is enforced, non-serious buyers could treat the KTM facilities as a relaxing holiday in God's Own Country.

Clearly, however, the KTM's popularity is growing by leaps and bounds. M R Narayanan, chairman of the Sellers' Committee said, "I really had no work to do as, two months ago, all the air-conditioned stalls were all sold out." This was endorsed by Madhu K G, resort manager of Riverdale Holiday Home. He finds the KTM very useful and the last time he had a both in the air-conditioned section. This time, however, even though he applied a month ago, all the air-conditioned stalls were booked and he had to take space in the non air-conditioned section. There have been interested enquires from both Norway and North India. Similarly, Suresh of Cherai Beach Resorts had six bookings from a Japanese group for two nights over the New Year. He is very happy with the contacts he has made here.

Many of the quotations we have given have come from new, small and stand-alone operators. According to one of the founders of the KTM, Jose Dominic, a prime objective of creating the KTM was to give a voice, and exposure, to such entrepreneurs. They had often felt that the larger entities tended to rob them of the right international exposure. Nevertheless, the big boys were also happy with their participation in the

KTM. Vikas Bhasin, resort manager of Club Mahindra Holidays, Munnar has found the mart very beneficial. A large number of people from Sri Lanka and China were fascinated by the range of activities offered by his resort as there are no Club Meds around. Two charter companies have evinced interest in their property.

Repeat clients of the KTM were also happy with the 2004 Mart. George Dominic of CGH Earth, who has attended all three KTMs felt that this has been the most focused. "For the first time we have had buyers from the US and new ones from the UK and Italy. The east has also come: China, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia." P D Joseph, MD of Pioneer Travels, and the treasurer of the KTM said, "The response from different parts of the world has been very amazing We could not accommodate all the delegates in Kochi. We had to place people at Marari and Kumarkonam. Buyers from Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan and Ukraine showed keen interest."

As a relief from the intense business of making money, the KTM had organised two seminars. The subjects were rather free-form, allowing plenty of latitude to the speakers to interpret it in their own way. One of the subjects was:

Kerala, Living up to the great expectations - a practioner's view point

The other subject was Kerala - The more you go, the more you have to! Factors that drive the super brand.

Without going into the details of the speeches and the speakers, we got the impression that very few speakers tried to express the perceptions and experiences of the consumer which, apparently was the object of these exercises…according to the organisers. What did emerge, however, was that an increasing number of visitors were on an inward journey; searching for their selves and the meaning of life, rather than a destination. These people felt that they could discover such insights in Kerala. All speakers felt that the prime strength of the Kerala brand…If, indeed, it is a 'brand'…was still, largely, pristine countryside, its people and their lifestyles. They all felt that those intangible qualities had to be protected in the face of increasing pressures by, so-called, 'development'.

An endorsement of the growing clout of the KTM is the fact that neighbouring states have begun to participate in the Mart, Lakshdweep, Andhra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and the Andamans had taken state booths: their individual sellers, however, did not take part.

In spite of the resounding, and continuing success of the Kerala Travel Mart, it really is strange that the travel industry of no other state has seen fit to follow the KTM's shining example!