'God's own country' wants to attract Arab sheikhs to its scenic locales and idyllic backwaters.
"Arab tourists are looking for alternative destinations after 9/11 and Indian destinations, particularly those in Kerala, have good potential to attract them," T O Sooraj, Director, Department of Tourism, Kerala said.
More restaurants and eateries with Arab cuisine, entertainment parks for children and shopping centres catering to Arab tastes are being planned in the state, Sooraj said on the sidelines of the Indian Hoteliers Convention in Dubai.
"We have on board an edutainment park for children at Tripunithura in Kochi and a dream city in Kozhikode. Both have been planned for amusement of children as the thrust of our policy is to attract more Arab families," he said.
"India got only less than one per cent of world tourist arrivals but Kerala's share in that was 11 per cent in 2003, marking an increase of 26 per cent over the previous year," Sooraj said.
Kerala will try to improve air connectivity with West Asia and budget airlines like Air Arabia will greatly increase tourist traffic from the region to Kerala.
"As Dubai is already a tourist hub, we will try to include Kerala in the travel plans of tourists coming to the city," Sooraj said.