World Travel Market 2011(WTM 2011) - Kerala Pavilion wins award

The Kerala pavilion has secured the award for the Best Stand at the prestigious World Travel Market 2011, organised in London. The Pavilion that presents a fraction of the serenity and picturesqueness in its splendour has been a cynosure since its opening.

The World Travel Market is one of the most recognised and largest events in the Travel and Tourism field globally. The pavilion opened by Kerala Tourism emerged as a leading attraction of the event that kicked off on 7th November. The pavilion that spreads over 117 sq. m with the theme of 'backwater with Chinese fishing net' really impressed the jury. They opined that the stall was absolutely an eye-catcher. "The image told the story of the destination perfectly," the jury stated.

The Kerala contingent is led by the state Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar. He said that they were very happy to present a slice of the beauty of Kerala to the world through this pavilion.

"It is a recognition for our efforts and a big push to our future endeavours on the marketing front." he said. The pavilion is the largest among the pavilions from India. Also, it is the only state pavilion to win the award, the others being represented by International or national boards. Apart from the backwaters, the pavilion is a blend of Kerala's pure art forms, calm beaches, hill stations, thick green forests, mouth watering cuisines and all.

The stall was concieved and developed by Thiruvananthapuram based Stark Communications Pvt Ltd. They had also won the award for best international stand at FITUR, Madrid in January this year.

India also won the award for the Best Tourism Marketing campaign. The awards for Indian pavilions were recieved by SubodhKant Sahay, the Central Minister of Tourism. He said that India is planning to add 5 million tourists in the next two or three years and that will help to create about 25 million jobs. He also opined that Kerala is a model to others in self marketing. He announced the plan to introduce the World Travel Mart in India. The event concluded on thursday.