It seems that people from God's Own Country are looking forward to entice travellers from the posh Gulf. A wonderful strategy has been plotted to support the cause by Kerala Tourism as it will soon organise a 3-day road show in major cities of Saudi Arabia such as Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam starting from May 6, 2012.
Government of Kerala Tourism Minister, Mr. A. P. Anil Kumar feels that Saudi Arabia is definitely the principal market for outbound travellers in the entire Gulf region. He has also displayed keen interest in inviting Saudi Arabian travellers to various destinations in Kerala tourism. Mr. Kumar along with Manoj Kumar, the Secretary of Tourism, Government of Kerala, will drive a delegation of about fifteen Kerala tourism service providers to conduct road shows in Saudi Arabian cities. It is also said that around fifty local tour operators will take part in each of the road shows.
Mr. Manoj Kumar has confirmed the efforts of Kerala Tourism to enhance arrivals for foreign tourists in Kerala in the near future. He also mentioned that Saudi Arabia hold huge significance as a market for Kerala Tourism due to huge scope for Arab tourists to visit Kerala.
The Minister also added that Kerala and the Gulf countries together have revelled in many historical and traditional connections in the past. He also threw light upon Kerala's natural beauty and its status as a hotspot among tourists from the Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia.
The Gulf region has verified over 9 million outbound travellers in last year and the figure is expected to reach 35 million by 2020. This is definitely a significant number. The best part is that Saudi Arabia accounts for over 40 per cent of these outbound tourists! India is marked as the major tourist destination sought after by Arab travellers, in addition to the UK, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong and the Philippines.