Kalpetta: While preparations for the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) are at their peak, the Wayanad Tourism industry, which has been almost decimated post the landslide, pins hope of its revival with national and global exposure. Started in 2008, this year it is the 12th edition of the biennial event. Hailed as the largest travel festival of India where the movers and shakers of the global industry including bureaucrats , travel operators, property owners and an array of influencers including travel writers, bloggers, vloggers and You tubers, converge for three days from September 26.
The Wayanad Tourism Organization, a platform of stakeholders pioneering the industry in the hill district has demanded a slot for presentation during the inaugural ceremony. It is essential to avoid another economic catastrophe in the cash strapped region, say WTO office bearers. The organization is a member of the KTM managing committee.
WTO also urged KTM to send as many delegates as possible to Wayanad, which the organization will host. “ We need people across the globe to come and feel what Wayanad is, and here it is completely safe,” said WTO Secretary CP Sailesh.
The stakeholders have been lamenting that since the landslide almost all tourism spots as well as properties are vacant. An exclusive stall would be given to Wayanad at the KTM and as many as 32 sellers from the district also have registered as participants in the meet. Moreover, at the main entrance of the venue, 20 different videos, each 1.5 minute long, all depicting the beauty of Wayanad, would be played on big screen. Every day, a display on Wayanad will appear on the big screen for three days, 30 times a day.
Among the 1700 delegates registered for KTM, 120 delegates, including 55 foreign nationals and 65 Indian nationals, have already expressed interest in visiting Wayanad after KTM. The delegation would travel to Calicut by Vande Bharat train and then proceed to Wayanad by road. KTM managing committee secretary S Swaminathan said that the KTM-2024 would do whatever it could to help the Wayanad tourism sector.