Kerala's snake boat pavilion wins award in Madrid

Kerala Tourism's pavilion themed on the famous snake boat race has bagged an award in the destination category along with Mexico, Japan and Nepal at FITUR, the second largest travel and tourism fair in Spain.

The Kerala pavilion won the best stand award for design, communication and professionalism at the 36th edition of the five-day FITUR that ends on Sunday.

The event was attended by 9,500 companies from 165 countries.

The Kerala pavilion, which was adorned by two replicas of the snake boat, was one of the most-photographed pavilions.

"The award for our pavilion is a huge honour for our state," said Kerala's Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar, who led the state delegation at FITUR.

Four co-exhibitors, representing the state's private tourism and hospitality sector, took part in the pavilion, built on a 60 square metre area.

The pavilion was conceived and designed by Stark Communications, the marketing agency of Kerala Tourism and executed by art director Sabu Sivan and his team.

Kerala Tourism's principal secretary G. Kamala Vardhana Rao termed it a "significant international honour bestowed at the world's second most important travel and tourism industry event".

FITUR, organised by Madrid's trade fair organisation or IFEMA (Feria de Madrid), was held at the IFEMA Convention Centre, one of the biggest exhibition grounds in the world.