Kerala woos Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to attract foreign investment

A high-powered Kerala delegation led by Tourism Minister A P Anilkumar is in the Silicon Valley to attract tourists and entrepreneurs to the state and bring in the much needed foreign direct investment. "The US is a key market for Kerala Tourism. In-bound tourism from America to Kerala has grown about 40 per cent in the past two years. Our first-ever corporate meet in the Silicon Valley is a crucial step to further increase those numbers," said Anilkumar.

Executives from over 50 companies in Silicon Valley attended the corporate meet addressed by Kerala Tourism Principal Secretary Shri G Kamala Vardhana Rao at Palo Alto on January 14, which was organised in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry and US-India Business Council.

Tourist arrivals from the US have registered a 39.24 per cent growth during 2012-14. In 2014, the number of American tourists who visited Kerala was 76,616 compared to 55,741 in 2011, a media release said. "Kerala Tourism event was intended to introduce Kerala as a destination to the companies in the Silicon Valley and also to portray the state as an investor-friendly destination," the release said.

Apart from the destination promotion, the Principal Secretary also presented on behalf of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) the various investment opportunities available in the state. "Kerala is growing as a destination for corporate leaders and executives around the world because of its beautiful as well as peaceful locations to talk and do business. There is no better place than Kerala for the Silicon Valley executives to come and relax and even work," Rao said.

"With a large concentration of highly qualified software professionals and entrepreneurs, Kerala is an ideal destination for investment by the Silicon Valley companies," Rao added.