Tourism and Culture Minister P. C. Vishnunadh visits the Sagara and Samudrika Convention Centres on Willingdon Island, venue of Kerala Travel Mart 2026, on Friday.
| Photo Credit: R.K. Nithin
Aimed at increasing tourist footfalls, Kerala Tourism will develop 100 new tourism destinations in the coming five years, at the rate of 20 destinations per year, Tourism Minister P. Vishnunadh said here on Friday.
The funds to ready tourism infrastructure at the locales will be earmarked in each year’s Budget. Kochi too will get its due share of budgetary allocation, including for a ₹100-crore project to improve tourism infra in Fort Kochi. The detailed project report (DPR) for the project is getting ready. Likewise, work on the proposed J.C. Daniel International Film City will commence in another six months, for which land will be identified shortly. Yet another project that has been mooted for the city is an oceanarium, he said.
Mr. Vishnunadh was addressing a press meet in connection with the 13th edition of the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), India’s largest tourism and hospitality industry event, that will be held from September 25 to 27 at the Sagara and Samudrika Convention Centres on Willingdon Island.
Homestays
Referring to the untapped potential of homestays, he said these hospitality units need a uniform branding. “Moreover, their operators need to be given training so that each of them adheres to a minimum standard. For this, they ought to be divided into clusters, depending on their location in north, central and southern Keralam.”
While the European tourist market remains mostly saturated, there is a steady increase in the number of tourists in the State from West Asia and Russia. Despite the unrest in West Asia, Oman now stands third in tourist arrivals to the State, with guests from the country increasingly opting for monsoon tourism. The past year also saw a 13% increase in tourist footfalls from the U.K. and 9% from the U.S. Efforts are also on to integrate culture and art forms into tourism, Mr. Vishnunadh said.
The demand for medical value tourism too is on the rise in Keralam. In keeping with the times, site seeing is paving the way to experiential tourism in the State as well. Here, Kerala Tourism is wooing guests with the slogan ‘Be a Keralite for a Day’.
On chairperson post
He added that the chairperson of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy will be appointed prior to the commencement of the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK).
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan will inaugurate KTM 2026 on September 24 at the Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre, while the B2B interactions would take place at the Sagara and Samudrika Convention Centres, where a total of 400 stalls would showcase Keralam’s tourism products.
Mr. Vishnunadh said 800 foreign and 1,200 domestic buyers have registered for the mart. This is apart from 71 mediapersons from across the world. There has been a steady growth in MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism in Keralam, while destination weddings are also being promoted in a big way. Guests have the option of availing Water Metro ferries to reach the KTM venue on Willingdon Island. Pre and post mart tours have been arranged, while a revamped software and mobile application will provide real time support and updates to participants, he added.
Hibi Eden, MP; Additional Director of Kerala Tourism Sumit Kumar Thakur; president of KTM Society Jose Pradeep; secretary S. Swaminathan;former president Baby Mathew; and treasurer Jibran Asif also attended the press meet.
Published – September 18, 2026 06:59 pm IST
