Abu Dhabi, Kerala to work together for tourism development in state
Abu Dhabi-Kerala tie up comes as a breakthrough for Kerala tourism, which is now recovering from the Covid-induced crisis
In what could be a major boost to Kerala’s initiatives to revive travel and hospitality sector from the pandemic-induced downturn, Abu Dhabi and Kerala have agreed to work together for the development of tourism in the state.
An agreement was reached during the discussions Kerala Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas had with Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism Chairman HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak in Abu Dhabi.
Riyas is leading a delegation of Kerala Tourism to UAE as part of the Kerala Week that coincides with Expo 2020 Dubai. The understanding will be formalised through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) soon.
Abu Dhabi Minister to be Guest of Honour at KTM
The Minister has also invited Al Mubarak to be the Guest of Honour at the Kerala Travel Mart scheduled to be held in Kochi in May, 2022. Accepting the invitation to visit Kerala, the Abu Dhabi minister said he looked forward to a fruitful trip to Kerala that will lead to a robust partnership in tourism sector.
Al Mubarak, who is also the Chairman of Abu Dhabi’s state-owned infrastructure development company Aldar, said the possibilities of Aldar making investments in Kerala’s tourism sector will also be explored as part of the cooperation.
A high level delegation from Abu Dhabi will visit Kerala in May for holding further discussions in that direction.
It may be recalled that Kerala had expressed keenness to partner with UAE based investors and Non-Resident Keralites in scripting a new story of growth and development in key sectors, especially tourism. Kerala has in its itinerary a slew of major initiatives promising attractive investment opportunities such as ‘Exploring the Unexplored’ destinations, opening up the untapped Malabar region, Caravan Tourism, safe and regulated adventure tourism, experiential tourism, workcations and active holidays.
Boon for Kerala Tourism
“This understanding will impart great momentum to our tourism initiatives. Kerala tourism is now recovering from the Covid-induced crisis and this tie-up comes as a breakthrough”, Riyas said.
The Kerala Minister also briefed Al Mubarak about the immense potential of Kerala as a prime tourism hub and how its unsurpassed natural beauty and hospitality of people attracted visitors from far off lands since ancient times.
