Kozhikode will be Paris of future, says minister Riyas after inaugurating Malabar Tourism Conclave

Kozhikode: Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas on Saturday inaugurated Tourism Conclave 25: Gateway to Malabar Tourism, organised by Mathrubhumi at The Raviz Kadavu, Kozhikode.

Delivering the keynote address, the minister spoke about the untapped potential of Kerala’s tourism sector and stressed that developing Malabar was essential for the overall growth of the state’s tourism industry.

“Development of Malabar tourism is Kerala’s need. Through this conclave, our aim is to find solutions to the existing challenges in Malabar tourism, and to understand why the number of tourists remains low despite a lot of destinations existing here,” he said.

“The sector intends to strengthen existing assets while also identifying new attractions to draw more travellers. With all these possibilities, Kozhikode has the potential to become the Paris of the future.”

Mathrubhumi Managing Director MV Shreyams Kumar echoed the sentiment, noting that the conclave was only the first step in a much larger journey.

“The conclave is only a beginning. The real challenge lies in developing a concrete action plan to unlock Malabar’s tourism opportunities and firmly place Malabar on India’s tourism map,” he remarked.

The conclave is bringing together prominent voices from the industry, including wedding planners, leading Indian travel vloggers, and experts in adventure tourism.

The sessions will explore a diverse range of themes such as wellness tourism, adventure tourism, experiential and community tourism, destination weddings and MICE, culinary tourism, holiday tourism, and digital empowerment in the travel sector.

Major projects in the pipeline include the Malanad-Malabar River Tourism project, which seeks to transform the region’s rivers into vibrant tourism hubs, and the Malabar Literary Circuit, touted as a potential game-changer for the cultural tourism landscape.