While the biennial Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), organised by the Kerala Travel Mart Society, has been a front-runner among tourism B2B shows in India for over 25 years, showcasing Kerala’s tourism attractions, products and capabilities, stakeholders are exploring innovative ways to keep buyers—both international and domestic—engaged.
From recreating village tea stalls and showcasing local artists and artisans to celebrating local legends, tourism stakeholders in Kerala are leaving no stone unturned to enhance the appeal of their products and destinations. Even local hotel groups with a network of luxury hotels and resorts are no longer putting up cozy, designer pavilions to tell their story to their buyers in B2B shows like KTM.
In this context, The Raviz Hotels & Resorts pavilion at the recently concluded 13th edition of KTM 2026 stood out among the 400-odd exhibitors and sellers. The pavilion designed completely using recyclable materials had no tables and chairs for B2B meetings, but only living legends drawn from different parts of the state.
Among those featured were Kozhikode’s ‘Mithayi Basheer’, who has helped popularise Malabar’s traditional sweet-making culture; clarinet exponent Ustad Nelson; Pulikali (Tiger Dance) artist Tony C.S.; and Purushu Mararikulam, known for creating intricate designs, toys and sourvenirs with palm leaves. Traditional palm-mat artisans from Thazhava and practitioners of organic farming were also featured at the pavilion.
Rather than presenting these individuals merely as attractions, Raviz introduced visitors to their stories and the traditions behind their skills.
“Kerala’s tourism offering to the world is not limited to beautiful landscapes and large resorts. It is also the stories of ordinary people and their extraordinary skills that have made these places what they are,” said Prem Kamal, Cluster Director, The Raviz Hotels & Resorts.
He said the initiative was aimed at showcasing Kerala’s flavours, heritage and the lives behind them, rather than repeating the luxury features of its resorts.
“Thousands of such people have helped establish Kerala’s place on the global tourism map. We wanted to give visitors an opportunity to get to know some of them and their lives more closely,” Kamal said.
The pavilion itself reflected the group’s focus on sustainability, having been created using materials that are in harmony with nature and can be reused.
According to Kamal, the concept was based on the belief that Kerala cannot be understood merely as a tourist destination. Its identity has been shaped by generations of traditions encompassing nature, music, food, heritage and spirituality.
“If one wants to know Kerala, one also needs to know its people,” he said, adding that this was the idea The Raviz sought to bring to KTM 2026.
As travellers increasingly seek experiences, there has also been a conscious effort at KTM this year to showcase traditional art, culture and handicrafts, and their intrinsic relationship with the lives and livelihoods of people in Kerala. Aligned to this trend, the Responsible Tourism Mission of Kerala also made sure their KTM 2026 pavilion brought forth best of art and craft forms of the state to the centre stage.
