Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 17 (IANS): Kerala Tourism's flagship event -- The Kerala Travel Mart which is all set to go offline after the 2021 event being held virtually following the pandemic, has got a huge response. It is now scheduled to be held here from May 5 to 8.

The inaugural session of the KTM on May 5 will be followed by business meets from May 6 to 8 at Kochi.

Baby Mathew, President of KTM Society the organizer of the event, said so far 374 foreign buyers and 1171 domestic buyers have registered for participation in the event, and the number is set to go up in the coming days vouching for the industry's confidence in the post-pandemic resurgence of tourism.

"The industry's response to the ensuing edition of KTM has been extremely encouraging, especially after the Government of India announced its decision to lift air travel restrictions this month. The enquiries so far have even surpassed the response received by the pre-pandemic KTM conclaves", said Mathew.

The pro-active steps taken by the Kerala Tourism Department for the quick revival of tourism in the state have imparted an added thrust to KTM, he said.

Though the prime focus of this edition is on the domestic buyers, the travel and tourism entrepreneurs from abroad are also showing great interest in participation, he said.

"Arrangements are progressing well for the conduct of the business sessions in a hassle-free manner by adhering to Covid appropriate behaviour. We expect a meaningful buyer seller meet and interactions beneficial to all the participants," added Mathew.

The meet will feature exclusive spaces to showcase "Keravan Kerala", the state's recently launched caravan tourism initiative, and the globally acclaimed Responsible Tourism.

Caravan Tourism and Adventure Tourism will be the key themes of this edition of KTM.

The government's initiatives to promote tourism in the Malabar region will also receive major attention at KTM.