A two-day Indo-Russian Travel and Tourism fair kicked off on Wednesday in Thiruvanthapuram city of India's Kerala state in the presence of State Tourism Minister P. A. Mohammad Riyas along with delegates from the Russian Embassy in India.
The bilateral event, organized in association with the State Tourism Department and the Russian Embassy, will witness the participation of travel and tourism industry experts from both countries to discuss potential developmental ideas.
The state aims to raise the number of Russian tourists visiting the area to 100,000 in coming years, and even entertain Russian tourists who might usually visit Goa, P.B Nooh, Kerala tourism director told Russian media on the sidelines of the fair.
"Goa has beaches, but Kerala has beaches too, and we also have Ayurveda & backwaters (a network of brackish lagoons and canals lying parallel to the Arabian Sea of the Malabar coast)," Nooh said.
The state of Kerala is known for its sunny beaches and waterfalls, water sports, hill stations, tea, coffee and spice plantations and large coconut groves. Besides, the state is also known for its Ayurvedic retreats.
"Ayurveda is a system of traditional medicine that has a centuries-old history in India. While the services are offered in different parts of India, Kerala portrays itself as the centre of Ayurveda," Noah noted.
The fair will open for the general public on December 1.