The meeting was led by Chief Secretary Mr Jiji Thomson and Tourism Secretary G Kamala Vardhana Rao
_0_0_0_1_0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0.jpg "UK MPs get preview of Ayurveda, backwaters")
Jiji Thomson
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Kerala Tourism made a presentation of Ayurveda and the backwaters for British parliamentarians at the Westminster on October 11.
The meeting was led by Chief Secretary Mr Jiji Thomson and Tourism Secretary G Kamala Vardhana Rao, who met the British MPs, including many Indian-origin members of the British Parliament.
Mr Thomson and Mr Rao were in the British capital to take part in the ‘Mayor of London’ event to showcase 'God's Own Country' to a British audience. The cultural extravaganza, which had ‘mohiniyattam', 'thiruvathirakali' and 'kathakali' performances, was held at the iconic Trafalgar Square on the same day.
Among those present were Mr Virendra Sharma, Indian-born MP of the West London constituency Ealing, Southall, and Stephen Timms, Member of Parliament from the suburban East Ham seat.
“We wanted to directly address the British parliamentarians and tell them why the United Kingdom is the biggest tourism market for Kerala in the world,” the chief secretary said.
Two years ago, the British royal couple, Prince Charles and wife Camilla Parker Bowles, had visited Kerala, watching Kathakali in Kochi and celebrating the 65th birthday of the Prince of Wales at the backwaters resort of Kumarakom. Among prominent British visitors to Kerala include the Beatles legend Sir Paul Mcartney.
Last year, Kerala had received 1,51,497 travellers from the United Kingdom. Kerala Tourism's London visit is aimed at increasing the figure substantially during the 'Visit Kerala' year. “Kerala is a very enchanting land,” said the Ealing MP Shri Sharma, while recalling his visit to the state.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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