UNWTO Regional Director suggests Kerala Tourism to focus on North East Asian markets

During his visit to India’s Kerala State for attending United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) annual executive training programme on ‘Tourism Policy and Strategy’, UNWTO-Asia/Pacific Regional Director Xu Jing suggested that the future of Kerala Tourism depends on how successfully it can penetrate the emerging source markets in North-East Asia including China, Japan and Korea.

 Expressing surprise at the low tourists' arrivals from NE Asian countries to Kerala, Jing commented: “I can’t believe why your land is not flooded with Asian tourists, the people from oriental Asia. I have already spoken to Kerala Tourism secretary and the director here on conducting some technical seminar to provide information and to chalk out strategies to penetrate these emerging Asian markets.” 

“The major challenge is to diversify your source markets, and when you do that it’s not just about making a policy shift but also a product shift. Unfortunately, Kerala, the shining success story of India Tourism in the conventional source markets in Europe, is little known among the strong international travellers from these Asian countries,” he added.

According to Jing, tourists from these markets, especially China, are now travelling to the Maldives and Sri Lanka unlike earlier.  

Besides suggesting ways to enrich the activities for tourists in the evenings, Jing said that activities should be linked to cultural performances, showcasing your heritage. And the evenings should also be linked with gastronomy as well.