One of the long-standing demands of the Grand Kerala Shopping Festival has been to create a single platform where the most attractive features of the annual event are concentrated, offering the ultimate shopping experience for both visitors and domestic consumers.
The Department of Tourism, Kerala has managed to achieve this for the Sixth Season through the Global Village, which is envisaged along the lines of the Dubai Shopping Festival. It is for the first time that a trade fair of this kind is being held in Kerala.
The Global Village, which represented the trade and cultural traditions of various states and countries, has been organized in 24 acres of land at the Lulu Convention Centre premises in the tourist hot spot of Bolgatty island in Kochi.
Dalda and Carnival Group were the title sponsors of the Global Village which was started on December 22 with a grand inaugural ceremony and concluded on January 7.
Around 400 stalls were set up across six main pavilions — International, National, Kerala, Consumer, Brand and Weaves — and an extensive food pavilion all housed in a massive German structure offering one lakh square feet of air-conditioned space.
A 200 ft long 30 ft high houseboat shaped grand entrance arch greeted visitors to the fair. Each pavilion had an entrance designed to reflect its theme.
The National Pavilion was dedicated to unique crafts and products from other states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The International Pavilion had Thailand as the partner country with stalls selling the country’s unique products and space to stage cultural shows, besides special Thai cuisine prepared by the country’s finest chefs at the Food Pavilion. The international pavilion also hosted stalls from China, Pakistan and Japan.
The Kerala Pavilion had around 100 stalls featuring products including handicrafts, handlooms, spices, coir, rubber, cashews and coconut carvings, tribal treatment systems and traditional spas. A special stall on responsible tourism initiatives of Kerala tourism was also set up. A
A specially designed theme-based stall called “Graamam” representing a typical Kerala Village was organised by the DTPC Ernakulam.
The Brand Pavilion had around 90 stalls showcasing products and services of local, national and international companies. The Consumer pavilion was devoted to consumer durable products, including a wide range of home appliances.
In keeping with GKSF’s commitment to promoting domestic and traditional industries, the Weaves pavilion at the international trade fair presented an exciting collection of the finest hand-woven garments from around the country.
On display and sale at nearly 50 stalls were Gadwalls, Pochampally, Venkatagiri and Mangalagiri from Andhra Pradesh, Kanjeevaram and Chettinad silks from Tamil Nadu, Maheshwari and Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthani Kota, Lucknowi Chicken-Kari, Bengali silk and Daccar work, Orissa Sambalpuri, Kutch embroidery from Gujarat and Kashmir.
The food pavilion featured around 40 stalls serving everything from kappa and meen curry from our very own thattukada to ghevar from Rajasthan to an array of Mexican salads and Italian pizza.
Waterfront activities at the Global Village included houseboats, speed boats and various cruise services. The amusement park had different kinds of rides and entertainment-cum-adventure packages for both children and adults.
The daily entertainment shows featured popular artists including Kalabhavan Mani, Renjini Jose, Manjari, Vidhu Pratap and Kalinga Band.
Special cultural performances comprised traditional and classical dance performances by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists from Rajasthan and eastern Indian states, besides Kerala. Performances by artists from Thailand were a special attraction.
An indoor area with video game arcades and a platform to showcase their talents were special attractions for children. Other fun activities such as face painting, moving mascots, jugglers, a display of sky trackers, lasers and fireworks were also part of the festival.
The Global village had a parking facility for more than 1,000 cars and 1,000 bikes. The fair was targeted primarily at visitors from outside Kerala, particularly from overseas to give them a complete shopping experience. All prizes and incentives being offered during Season 6 of GKSF were available for purchases made at the Global Village.
