KOCHI: India’s first Wedding and MICE Conclave concluded in Kochi on Saturday with stakeholders calling for a comprehensive policy framework that helps Kerala emerge as the country’s foremost destination in this fast-growing segment by leveraging the state’s niche strengths as a global tourism brand.

Kerala Tourism Director Sikha Surendran, while inaugurating the valedictory session of the August 14-16 meet, said suggestion had come from the participants for the formation of MICE Promotion Bureaus in the state’s major cities, beginning with Kochi.

The state must also draw up a strategic global marketing and communications plan that showcases its core strengths as the most ideal MICE destination of India, she noted, as the event organised by the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) Society in association with the state’s Department of Tourism drew to a close.

Positioning Kerala as a hub of wedding and MICE tourism will boost the state’s participation in allied global events, she pointed out at the session chaired by KTM Society President Jose Pradeep.

The closing session was also addressed by the past presidents of KTM Society that strives to create a common ground for travel agents from across the globe and connect them with the service providers in Kerala.

Sikha urged the KTM Society to come out with a “detailed report” featuring the deliberations from the conclave and a “focused roadmap” to carry forward the momentum set by the meet. “The government will certainly act upon the key takeaways from this event,” she added, striking an optimistic note on the impact of the conclave that hosted a flurry of buyer-seller meets, besides two seminars featuring international experts.