Kerala tourism to hog limelight at Dubai Shopping Festival

By Jays Jacob | 27 May 2003

Kochi: Kerala tourism will hold centre-stage in the coming Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). Kerala Tourism Minister K V Thomas signed an agreement recently in Dubai as a partner state of India Fair, to be held as a part of DSF.

The biggest event in Gulf region, the festival has been drawing crowds from all over the world and has in the recent times upstaged similar events in Hong Kong and Thailand.

Among the planned events are a snake-boat race and a mini-Thrissur Pooram, with elephants to be taken from the state. This is for the first time the state is participating and promoting tourism in an international event in a big way.

"The Dubai Shopping Festival is one of the largest marketing events in the world. We will be showcasing our tourism, culture and handicrafts with the active cooperation of non-resident Keralites in the region," says Thomas.

The promotion will cost the state government Rs 1 crore. "Thirty per cent will be provided by the government, while the rest will be raised from sponsors," says T Balakrishnan, secretary, department of tourism.

The department, which sent a fact-finding mission to DSF this year, is currently looking for sponsors. According to Balakrishnan, the response from businesses from both the state and abroad has been quite good. Plans are also being chalked out to transport snake boats and elephants to Dubai.

The festival, which till 2003 was for a month, is also being extended to three months from next year because of the huge response it has evoked internationally. An estimated 4.5 million visited Dubai this year during the festival, which is double the 2.6 million of 2002.

"The inflow of tourists into the state from Arab nations have increased in the recent times. Moreover, with the people thronging DSF from all over the world, the event gives us a chance to interact with tourists on a one-to-one basis," says Balakrishnan.

Around 2 lakh visitors come from abroad to the state every year, of whom the Gulf region accounts for around 30,000. Post-11 September, the figure has increased drastically and is expected to double in the coming year.

At DSF 2003, Rajasthan was the state in focus and the year before it was Andhra Pradesh. The state department of tourism''s efforts at DSF will be supported by the central government, the Indian embassy and the Dubai Indian Association.