Tourism pitch at French Mart

Kerala Tourism has made a strong sales pitch at the just-concluded International French Travel Mart Top Resa, the largest travel and tourism fair in France. Industrial giants like Air France, Accor group of hotels, Avis and French national rail carrier SNCF co-sponsored the Mart. France remains a strong market for us in terms of tourist arrivals, said S. Harikishore, director, Kerala Tourism, who led the State’s delegation to the Mart. A Kerala series of paintings stood mounted on the walls of the State pavilion. The wall-to-wall display attracted visitors to a colourful portrayal of Kerala’s abundant flora and fauna. France is the second largest market for Kerala Tourism after the UK. Nearly one lakh French tourists visited the state last year.