Kerala’s Ayurveda and Backwaters Charm Japanese Travellers

Technoparktoday.com(Sept, 2014): Kerala’s tradition of Ayurveda and its unique backwaters found more admirers in Japan after being showcased at the state’s theme pavilion at one of the biggest travel events in the world.

The JATA Tourism Expo, held from September 25-28 at the Tokyo Big Sight, the biggest convention centre in Japan, saw heavy footfall at the Kerala pavilion throughout the three days of the fair.

Describing the response from the domestic trade as “tremendous”, the Kerala Tourism Director Shri Sheik Pareeth said the Japanese tour operators and the public were eager to know more about Kerala. “Most of the enquires about Kerala came for Ayurveda treatments and backwater cruises,” he said.

The state tourism department had partnered three co-exhibitors from Kerala – Spice Land Holidays, Kumarakom Lake Resort and Kairali Ayurveda Resort – at JATA 2014.

A large group of Japanese tourists planning their maiden trip to India next month ended up opting for ‘God’s Own Country’ after being won over by Kerala Tourism’s promotional campaign at the fair. The group is planning to visit Kerala in October and the trade partners are already working on the itinerary.

It is for the second time that Kerala is taking in JATA which saw participation by as many as 970 travel and tourism companies from the 47 prefectures of Japan, along with delegations from over 150 countries.

Earlier last week, Kerala Tourism had also conducted a hugely successful roadshow in Kuala Lumpur, the commercial capital of Mayalsia, making its first-ever entry into the South East Asian country.

Indian Ambassador to Japan, Smt Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa, who visited the Kerala pavilion at the JATA Tourism Expo, offered the embassy’s support in helping promote Kerala in the East-Asian island nation. She said Kerala is largely an unexplored holiday destination for the Japanese who are generally great travellers.

Shri Pareeth said the department is already working on plans to strengthen marketing initiatives in Japan and will ensure a greater presence there in the future.

Kerala Tourism is buoyed by the keen interest shown by the Japanese tour operators as well as the media in the tourism products offered by the state. Major Japanese travel companies such as Nippon Travel, HIS Travels, Nikko Travel and JTB Tours, held discussions with Kerala Tourism and its trade partners. Several editors and journalists representing leading Japanese publications like The Japan Times and Shinchosha, one of the oldest media houses in the country, also were among the visitors to the Kerala pavilion.

Japan Airlines, the Japanese national carrier, is considering a code-sharing arrangement with an Indian domestic airline following the huge response to Kerala’s destinations from the Japanese travel sector. At present, Singapore and Malaysia serve as transit points to fly to Kerala.

“The trade partners on both sides are confident about doing business with each other because of several favourable factors like flight connectivity and Visa on Arrival facility,” the Kerala Tourism Director said.

Besides Kerala, Goa was the only other state tourism board to participate in the JATA 2014. The India Pavilion organised by the Union tourism ministry also took part in the Japanese travel trade fair.

Last year, tourist arrivals in Kerala from Japan numbered more than 8,000.