Kochi, May 21 (IANS): Kerala is gearing up to hold the 12th edition of its premier tourism event -- Kerala Travel Mart (KTM-2024) -- starting September 26 with the organisers expecting the biggest-ever turnout.

By now, 592 foreign buyers from 71 countries have registered for the four-day event, billed as Asia’s largest tourism meet.

This time, buyers from 27 countries are attending the event for the first time, including those from China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.

Jose Pradeep, President of KTM Society which organises the event with the support of the state Tourism Department, said the impressive response to the event is a result of the overseas marketing campaigns run by the Tourism Department.

The number of overseas buyers is set to increase further as the last date of online registration is July 31, said KTM Society Secretary, S. Swaminathan.

With 52 buyers, the UK tops the list of foreign countries when it comes to representatives at KTM-2024, followed by the US (45) and Malaysia (30). The domestic delegates total 1,533, of whom 460 are from Maharashtra, 257 from Delhi, and 217 from Gujarat.

As for stalls (under eight segments), the organisers have received 364 expressions of interest so far.

Cruise tourism is another area where the upcoming edition of KTM is giving focus

The 11th KTM in 2022 facilitated more than 55,000 business interactions in its three days. The buyers totaled 1,134 (234 from abroad), while the seller stalls totaled 325.