Kerala Tourism to organise second edition of International Homestay and Rural Tourism Travel Meet in Kochi

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Tourism announced the dates of the second edition of International Homestay and Rural Tourism Meet which will be organized in by the Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society (HATS). The three-day event will kick start on September 15th in Kochi at Bolghatty Palace wherein 1500 participants are expected to attend the travel meet.
The main objective of the Travel meet is to enhance the business opportunities in the state for Home stay providers, serviced villas and Grihastelly providing a platform to network with industry players. International Homestay and Rural Tourism Travel Meet is one of the largest B2B event for homestays and rural tourism in the country which will also be attended by national and international tour operators, entrepreneurs and destination management companies.
“Homestays are inevitable part of Kerala Tourism and helps the industry to connect with the travel enthusiasts. The B2B meet is expected to discuss recommendations to boost the rural tourism sector.” said Mr. P Bala Kiran IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism. The general travel trend of torourists these days is not just a visist to the place but also to experience and live the experience. The recently conducted Adventure tourism workshop, HATS meet in Kochi etc will all add value to the government’s current initiative in rebranding Kerala Tourism and project the state tourism globally in the appropriate manner, he added .On the occasion, Mr. M P Sivadathan, Director, Kerala HATS, Mr. Rohith, Project coordinator, D Soman, District President Trivandrum were also present to address the gathering.
Once the sector grows with its potential, there will be a huge job opportunity in Homestay business there by enhancing opportunities equally in Tourism sector, said Mr.Sivadathan , Director, HATS . The trends these days also show that most foreign tourists prefer such homestay facilities for a better living experience of the habitat ,he added.
During the B2B meet, Seminars and discussions on the potential and challenges of the sector will also be organised.
Sri. Kadakampalli Surendran, Minister of Tourism will inaugurate the second edition of International Homestay & Rural Tourism Travel Meet 2017 and welcome the participants from India and overseas market. The event will witness more than 129 stalls and 700 buyers from the national and international travel industry players from across the globe. Business partners from Malaysia, Srilanka, Nepal, Thailand and Saudi Arabia are expected to join the domestic players from Jammu Kashmir, Tamil Nadu Coimbatore, Jaipur , Delhi and many more. The list of participants will also include some of the leading online travel companies such as bookings.com, MakeMyTrip.com, airbnb.com and Yatra.com.
The International Homestay and Rural Tourism meet is supported by the Department of KeralaTourism with a financial aid of Rs 10 lakhs to conduct the event. The central government is also expected to provide some financial aid for the event.
Prof. K V Thomas MP, Founder & Chairman of Kerala HATS will preside the function and Hibi Eden MLA, PT Thomas MLA, S Sharma MLA, K J Maxi MLA, Suman Billa IAS, Joint Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of India, Dr. Venu V IAS, Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and P Bala Kiran IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism will grace the occasion with their presence.

Sessions on the 'Importance of Homestays and Serviced villas in Kerala Tourism' and 'Digital Marketing in Tourism Sector' will be conducted on 16th September followed by a seminar on GST on 17th September. The event will conclude with a valedictory function. The second edition of International Homestay and Rural Tourism Meet intends to communicate the impact of unregulated tourism growth that harms the society as well as environment.
This travel meet is aimed at addressing the changing tourism industry trends and evolving needs of the travel enthusiasts, primarily younger generation, who wants to experience the village life and hence prefer to visit rural parts of the country. Promoting rural tourism will further boost the local community development economically and socially providing an enriching travel experience to the tourists. Additionally, this travel meet will also provide insights to the participants and help them to devise effective & innovative promotional tools/marketing strategy for the growth of homestay business.
Kerala HATS had successfully conducted the first homestay and rural tourism travel meet in 2015 in Kochi which was attended by 80 sellers, more than 200 buyers from travel industry across India. Last year, the event registered a footfall of 4000 people. Kerala HATS is the first NGO ever to conduct a B2B meet in homestay category in India and has around 500 registered members as well as 800 approved homestays across Kerala.
The Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society has been promoting rural tourism and responsible tourism in Kerala for last 9 years. This society act as a consortium of Home stays and Tourism promoters for effective co-ordination and as a mediator for government and other organizations with respect to tourism business.