New Delhi, Oct 14 : More than half-a-lakh tourists thronged the London landmark, Trafalgar Square, to get a glimpse of traditional music, dance and martial arts performances organized by Kerala Tourism on October 11.
The Trafalgar Square reverberated with the beats of ‘chenda’ and movements of ‘Kathakali’ performances as ‘God’s Own Country’ captured the hearts of visitors to the ‘Mayor of London’ event in the British capital.
Kerala Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar said, “The Trafalgar Square presented a grand stage to introduce the cultural diversity of our state to the people of the United Kingdom and visitors from the rest of the world.”
“Our objective is to present the ‘Best of Kerala’, its natural beauty and rich culture and heritage, to our distinguished visitors from around the world so that we can contribute to the development of our state and empowerment of our communities,” he added.
The cultural extravaganza was organized in collaboration with the Indian diasporas’ ‘Diwali in London’ committee, which was attended by Deputy Mayor of London Roger Evans. Kerala Tourism Secretary G Kamala Vardhana Rao was also present on the occasion.
“Kerala is a top destination on the world tourism map because of the harmony between our land and culture as seen in the beautiful backwaters, majestic hills or calm country sides in the state,” Rao said.
The event influenced by god’s own country theme included ‘Chendamelam’, ‘Thiruvathirakali’ and a ‘ Bharathanatyam-Mohiniyattom, Kathakali fusion.
Britain is the biggest tourism market for Kerala. A whopping 151,497 travellers from the United Kingdom visited the state last year. The Kerala delegation also met with prominent tour operators and top mediapersons in London to promote ‘Visit Kerala’ campaign.
Launched in April this year by Union Tourism Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma and the state’s Tourism Minister, ‘Visit Kerala’ campaign will run until April next year. It will focus on bringing together a variety of tourism products with a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience of ‘God’s Own Country’.
Kerala Tourism will also participate in the influential World Trade Mart (WTM) in London, which will be held in the first week of November. (ANI)