Foreign buyers impressed by quality of meetings at KTM 2024

Eva Norlander and Marianne Hard af Segerstad, who represent Ganesha Travels, have been regular buyers at KTM for the past 16 years

Amongst the many records set by the 12th edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), that ended in Kochi recently, was the presence of a record number of foreign buyers as over 800 buyers from 75 nations in six continents turned up for what is positioned as Asia’s largest B2B travel trade fair.

The buyers, whether first timers or repeat visitors and whether from Argentina, Botswana, Canada or Denmark, were highly satisfied with their attendance of the show, which marked its 25 anniversary in 2024.

Amongst the old-timers at KTM are two Swedish sisters, Eva Norlander and Marianne Hard af Segerstad, who represent Ganesha Travels, a company that specialises in organising tours of India. The two are ardent fans of Kerala and have been regular buyers at KTM for the past 16 years. Incidentally, they also run a blog about Kerala in Swedish, which they say, is very popular in the Nordic country.

“We have been attending KTM since 2008 and we like to come here as we specialise in sending tourists to Kerala and even though there is a lot of information available online and through QR codes, but the advantage of attending shows like KTM is that you meet a lot of people here and meeting people is still very important,’’ Norlander and Hard af Segerstad, tell India & You.

They say they have seen the show evolve dramatically over the past 16 years. “It is bigger, much bigger and very professionally organised. So it is a very good show for us,’’ the duo adds.

Iveta Szilvasiova

But at KTM 2024, there are also many buyers who are first time visitors, not just at KTM, but also for their first visit ever to Kerala. One such tour operator is Iveta Szilvasiova, a representative of VIP Travel, a tour operator based in Slovakia, who says that though her company had been attending KTM for many years, for her it was the first time at the travel meet. She says that she had a lot of productive meetings at the show.

“I have had almost 62 meetings already and the meetings were really nice and informative. So I got all the information that I was looking for.’’

Ralitsa Yordanova

Ralitsa Yordanova is a tour operator from Bulgaria attending her first KTM. She says she has come to KTM to explore the destination as her company wants to develop more products in India for Bulgarian tourists.

“I have had really good meetings and I think that we can make some new products for our market. Kerala is not very popular currently in Bulgaria, but I think it will work because it offers a totally different experience in India,’’ Yordanova tells India & You.

The travel trade exhibition has attracted buyers from across the world including Argentina in Latin America and Botswana in Africa.

Clara Rivero

“This is my first time in Kerala, but not my first time in India. I have been twice to India. Kerala is not as well known in Argentina as we would like because currently most Argentineans come to visit the north of India. But when we came to know about Kerala, I think we can certainly offer Kerala as part of an itinerary combining north and south India,’’ Clara Rivero of Gernika Viajes, a tour operator based in Argentina, tells India & You.

“I was part of some fam tour before KTM and visited Munnar, Thekkady and Kumarakom. So I got to see different aspects of Kerala that could appeal to a tourist from Argentina. It has a very nice landscapes, tea plantations, beaches, the nature and the rainforest. So everything was very nice. I also got to experience a bit of the Ayurvedic massage also, so I can imagine a circuit that combines these all these elements,’’ she adds.

Hazel Tozer

Hazel Tozer is Global Sales and Marketing Director of ReccaTravel, a tour operator based in Botswana in southern Africa. Tozer says that though she had been to Gujarat earlier, she was keen to explore Kerala as her focus was medical and wellness tourism. She says that her visit to Kerala and attending KTM delivered the outcomes that she was seeking.

“I have visited parts of Kerala and I really loved it so much. My interest was Ayurveda because I am keen to develop medical packages and more on medical tourism, because my interest was to see how people perceive Ayurveda and other wellness packages and to get to know the cost of getting health-related services,” Tozer tells India & You .

“I have met quality exhibitors. My three main objectives were to meet people that are doing Ayurveda and wellness tourism. I also wanted to meet people with whom I could develop beach holidays and I have also met people who can help me develop packages for shopping holidays,’’ explains Tozer.

Wati Ndraha

She says that while some Botswanians travel to India, they mainly head to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, but they dont know much about Kerala. Tozer says she is confident of selling Kerala packages due to the competitive cost of travel. “The cost of travel within Africa is so high that if we travel from Botswana to a neighbouring country, the airfare is same as travelling to India. So that is why I want to offer them something that is different and I know that they will benefit so much from that,’’ says Tozer.

Wati Ndraha of Sedona Holidays Indonesia, has also already been to India but never Kerala. Her clients, too, have so far been to the northern parts of India. She says that attending KTM has been very productive and useful for her.

“The appointments are really well-organised and the hotel offer would also be good for Indonesians. So, I think we can develop this product for the Indonesian market as well. Once I get the complete picture, I will package it and offer it to our clients,” Ndraha tells India & You.