Chennai:
Kerala is wooing tourists from Tamil Nadu to the sixth
edition of Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF) starting on December 1, 2012.
U V
Jose, director of GKSF and additional director of Kerala tourism department
told reporters here on Wednesday that the 46-day festival, which will turn
entire Kerala into a huge shopping mall, is expected to attract nearly 10 lakh
tourists from the state.
“We
are expecting about one crore footfall of which 10 per cent will be from Tamil
Nadu,” he said.
About
10,000 merchants from the state are expected to participate in the festival,
which would create a lengthy retail channel from various categories of
jewellery, textiles, electronics, automobiles, furnishing etc.
“The
shopping festival, considered to be Asia’s biggest and regarded as the growth
engine for Kerala’s economy, will not only attract state-level tourists but
also those from national and international level,” said Jose.
He
said last year the budget was Rs 40 crore for the festival but this year the
budget is Rsd 60 crore, including Rs 30 crore on purchase of 101 kg of gold
which will be given away as prizes during the event.
Jose
said the department of tourism, Kerala has designed the festival to give a
‘Real Shopping Experience’ while awarding an opportunity to feel Kerala where
visitors can connect with the state and explore its rich art, craft, culture,
customs and architecture.
The
festival will also include a 15-day trade fair, which will be held in Kochi.
The trade fair promises to spill the festival out of the shops and will don an
international look, feel and repute, Jose said.
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