Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 29 : Stepping up the global outreach with its highly-rated initiatives, Kerala Tourism has made a big impact at FITUR, the global meeting point for tourism professionals and one the leading trade & tourism fairs in the world, in Madrid, Spain.


Reinforcing its position as an all-season experiential tourism destination and unlocking new opportunities in the Spanish travel market in particular, Kerala's pavilion themed 'The Magical Every Day' drew a steady stream of visitors including business delegates, right from the opening day of the five-day fair on January 24.

FITUR, considered to be the world's second most important tourism fair, had in the past substantially helped the state flaunt its destinations and packages before the world, leading to win-win business deals.

Spain itself is an important market for Kerala, touching around 18,947 arrivals in pre-pandemic 2019. Of late, arrivals have shown a steady uptick, recouping from the global disruption wreaked by the Covid pandemic.

The Kerala Pavilion stole the show with a gigantic installation of a pair of bulls seen in Kerala's temple festivals, called 'Kettukala' in local parlance.

Kerala Tourism's participation in FITUR will be followed by a series of B2B meets in Barcelona, Milan, Paris and London.

Significantly, Kerala's appealing presence in FITUR comes in the wake of the state Tourism Department scaling up its global campaign to bolster international tourist footfalls.

/IANS