THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 1 December 2007 — Mercedes and BMWs, luxury apartments and paid holidays, gold and diamonds, LCD and plasma TVs and much more. Prizes worth Rs.100 million are awaiting shoppers at the 45-day Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF) that begins across the state today.
“Some 100,000 shops in the 38,000 sq km festival venue would be lit up and decorated. They will give scratch-and-win coupons for every purchase of Rs.1,000 besides a number of attractive offers during the period,” said T. Balakrishnan, principal secretary (Industry and Commerce).
Security has been tightened in Malabar where nighttime shopping is being promoted. Heavy discounts and prizes are offered on purchases at the shops.
The leftist government is heavily banking on the state’s Rs.100 billion hospitality industry for the success of the shopping carnival. The inflow of domestic tourists increased by 40 percent last year while 25 percent more holidaymakers arrived from abroad compared to the previous year, despite bad roads and poor infrastructure.
“Unlike the Dubai Shopping Festival where everything comes from outside, every village and town will be participating in GKSF with home-grown products. Within five years, we hope to turn the state into an internationally recognized commercial shopping hub,” Balakrishnan said.
Kerala also lags in big shopping malls and superstore chains. The government plans to invest the additional revenue generated out of the shopping festival to improve commercial infrastructure.
The target for the first year would be the NRIs holidaying back home during the New Year, Christmas and the pilgrimage season and the next year the target would be shifted to more than six million domestic tourists visiting the state every year.
“From the third year, we would aggressively promote the state among the foreign travelers as the finest shopping destination. By that time, the prizes would go up in excess of Rs.1 billion,” said V. Venu, Principal Secretary (Tourism). “This is just a beginning. Nobody in India has so far offered such big prizes.”
“GKSF would promote traditional products such as decorative items, handicrafts, consumer durables, jewelry, textiles, marine products, resorts and the Ayurveda centers,” Balakrishnan said.
The Tourism Department has produced more than 100 souvenirs of Kerala’s own crafts that the holidaymakers can take home. However, focus this year is on gold and textile where the big money lies.
Cultural programs on the lines of Malabar Festival will be held at suitable venues at all the 14 district headquarters. “Last year’s Malabar Shopping Festival was a huge success that gave us confidence to do it statewide. There will be a massive outburst of cultural programs this time,” Venu said.
The coupons that the shoppers receive can also be used as an entry pass for the cultural events in which leading Indian artists and local talents would perform.
The state government has hired professional agencies like the Delhi-based 141 Cercone and Dubai’s ADVA to give all technical and publicity supports.
The participants include retail stores, manufacturers, traders, service providers, lifestyle stores, restaurants, hotels, resorts, Ayurveda massage centers, spas and various tourism centers converting the entire state into a shopping mall.
The tour operators in the state expect GKSF to give a new impetus to the tourism sector.
“The significant aspect of the GKSF is that hotels, restaurants, resorts, spas, Ayurvedic centers, tour companies, travel agencies are participating. The GKSF is a big step toward making Kerala a shopping destination on the lines of Dubai and Singapore,” Confederation of Tourism Industry President E.M. Najeeb said.
With tranquil stretches of emerald backwaters, lush green hill stations, exotic wildlife, waterfalls, sprawling plantations, Ayurveda, enchanting art forms and the magical festivals the industry is expecting yet another peak season coinciding with the shopping festival.
The GKSF also offers 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.
Coir Fair Begins on Dec. 7
The second edition of India International Coir Fair organized by Coir Board will begin at Jawaharlal Nehru International stadium in the port city of Kochi on Dec. 7, after a gap of six years.
This five-day fair, a global platform for manufacturers, exporters, technology and machinery providers, is expected to promote the coir industry generating business worth $25 million, said a top official.
“We initially expected 75 buyers but now we have more than 125 buyers from 35 countries,” Board Chairman A.C. Jose said.
The participants will be from UAE, USA, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Poland, Australia and the Netherlands.
IICF is touted as a global platform for the coir industry since India accounts for 90 percent of the world’s production of coir, which is exported to 97 countries. Kerala alone accounts for 80 percent of the exports.
