THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 15 September 2007 — After the last year’s successful Malabar Shopping Festival, the Kerala government plans to organize a statewide annual shopping event beginning this year.
Modeled on the similar festivals in Dubai and Hong Kong, the 46-day Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF) will open on Dec. 1 at 14 district headquarters to attract foreign tourists and buyers.
“The GKSF will promote local traditional products such as marine products, decorative items, handicrafts, consumer durables, jewelry, textiles, resorts and the Ayurveda centers,” said State Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
The minister also inaugurated the festival website, www.grandkeralashoppingfestival.com.
The minister said the main objective of the festival is to turn the state into a world-class shopping destination like Dubai. The festival will be jointly organized by industry, commerce, finance, local self-government, culture and tourism departments.
“All the 14 centers will form a chain of shopping destinations during the period of the festival. The festival authority, formed for the purpose, will control the functioning of this chain,” said Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Isaac.
The ministers said the festival would reach its climax only within the next five years. The shops that tie-up with the festival will have to achieve certain minimum standards over this period.
“During this time the state will fill the gaps in infrastructure — commercial, transport and recreation — related to the festival. By the end of five years, the state will be a major shopping destination, linked to tourism and productivity,” Isaac said.
Kerala-specific traditional, commercial and industrial products like coir, cashew, spices, handloom, marine products and handicrafts will be the major attractions. He claimed that the state was capable of offering tourists what international shopping destinations like Dubai cannot.
Facilities will be provided to tourists to purchase products from production centers.
“In Dubai, they showcase all the best products but they don’t produce anything. Kerala has unique products and well-run production centers. What’s more, the tourists can get customized products from these centers,” he said.
“Kerala offers a kind of pleasure that no other shopping destinations can dream of. It’s not just about shopping. The state offers a variety of views to the discerning traveler,” he said.
Besides domestic and international tourists, the organizers also bank on pilgrim tourists, especially the millions visiting the famed Sabarimala hill shrine, to give the festival a fillip.
An apex committee, with the tourism minister as chairman and finance, industries, local self-government and food and civil supplies ministers as vice chairmen, has been formed for the overall supervision of the festival. Tourism department will take care of the handling of the funds and administration.
“It would promote business and tie-ups. The entrepreneurs would get the GKSF branding, with special GKSF arches and danglers on their stores while the customers would get lucky coupons which have attractive prizes to be won,” Balakrishnan said.
The festival is being planned at the peak of the tourist season in Kerala, to enable the entrepreneurs to get more buyers for their products. With attractive tax holidays, the government also hopes NRIs to prefer shopping back home.
“There is tremendous scope for the development in the trade and commerce sector. The endeavor of the state to become a commercial trade hub will be highly beneficial and attract more opportunities with the support of government,” the minister added.
The festival will be accompanied by a huge marketing campaign, estimated to be at around Rs.180 million, to be handed by 141Sercon, the newly formed activation brand from the advertising and marketing major BatesAsia.
Positioned as the largest ever shopping festival in India, with a participation of over 1,500 establishments across Kerala, the GKSF promises to offer numerous opportunities for brand exposure, on-site signage and displays, cross-promotions, contests, naming rights, and destination marketing activities associated with tour packaging, with promotional opportunities in print, web, and broadcast media, and high visibility to large, targeted audiences at the lifestyle level.
“We are thrilled with this opportunity as it will provide us an opportunity to work as partners with the Kerala government which has generated an incredible brand equity as a preferred tourist destination in the world. We are excited as this festival will allow us to extend the equity to establish shopping as an experience,” Vijay Singh, managing director, 141Sercon, said.
“The festival offers a great opportunity to brands and sponsors to be part of the largest ever festival in India. The festival offers opportunities for brands to create brand awareness and association while also ensuring experiential connect in the last mile,” said Prasanna Kumar, AVP-Sales & Marketing, 141Sercon.
