Minister for Tourism and Cultural Affairs P. C. Vishnunath inaugurates the Indo-Arab Connect B2B Meet. Seen nearby are Rasheed Kakkad, President of the Association of Arab Tour Operators; Ravishankar K. V., Chief Coordinator of Indo-Arab Connect; E. M. Najeeb, President of the Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry; and Adv. Anilkumar, Chairman of ICL Fincorp.
The Arab travel segment has emerged as one of Kerala’s fastest-growing source markets, with the State hosting 1.22 lakh Arab tourists in 2025 and generating more than ₹3,000 crore in tourism revenue.Oman overtook Germany and France in 2024 to enter Kerala’s top 10 inbound markets. The trend, along with continued growth in arrivals from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, has carried into 2025 and the current season, according to the organisers of Indo-Arab Connect 2026.The organisers said Arab travellers have made a significant contribution to Kerala’s GDP as well as India’s foreign exchange earnings. The State is now targeting two lakh Arab tourist arrivals next year, which could generate nearly ₹5,000 crore in tourism revenue.Tourism Minister PC Vishnunath said the Indo-Arab Connect Tourism Summit had significantly strengthened interest among Arab travellers in Kerala as a tourism destination.The B2B summit brought together more than 162 tour operators from 10 Arab countries and nearly 200 Indian stakeholders, including hoteliers, resort operators, Ayurveda centres, houseboat operators and tour operators. The event generated 16,632 business meetings.Indo-Arab Connect 2026 was jointly organised by Tourism India Media Group, the Association of Arab Tour Operators (AATO) and the Association of Medical Tourism Facilitators (AMF).Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan inaugurated the summit. This year’s edition attracted more than 175 leading tour operators and travel agents from 10 Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the UAE. More than 100 exhibitors from India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, representing hotels, resorts, hospitals and Ayurveda centres, also participated.AATO president Rasheed Kakkad said the summit is expected to help Kerala attract two lakh Arab tourists next year, potentially adding nearly ₹5,000 crore to the State’s tourism revenue.The second edition of Indo-Arab Connect is planned for April next year. Ravishankar K. V., Managing Editor of Tourism India Media Group, said road shows would be organised across Arab countries in the coming months in partnership with Kerala Tourism to build momentum ahead of the second edition.The organisers aim to generate ₹25,000 crore in business from the Arab market over the next three to five years.Published on September 2, 2026
