Kochi, Dec 22 Kerala is set to showcase its deep maritime legacy to strengthen its footprint in the global heritage tourism market, with the first International Spice Route Conference scheduled to be held in Kochi from January 6 to 8, 2026.
The event is expected to spotlight the historic commercial and cultural networks that linked the Kerala coast with regions extending to the Mediterranean, shaping centuries of global trade and exchange.
Kerala Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas said the conference marked a strategic shift in Kerala's heritage tourism journey.
"Heritage tourism today represents a $600 billion global market, and the Spice Route offers Kerala a powerful and authentic narrative within this space," he added.
Organised by the Muziris Heritage Project in collaboration with the Kerala Tourism Department, the conference is being positioned as a flagship international platform that reconnects the ancient spice route with contemporary discourse on culture, history and tourism-led economic development.
The three-day event will be hosted at the historic Bolgatty Palace in Ernakulam, a site closely associated with Kerala's maritime past.
Long before the emergence of modern trade systems, ports along the Malabar Coast -- most notably the legendary port of Muziris -- served as critical hubs linking Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
Driven by monsoon winds, the Spice Route functioned not only as a commercial artery for spices and goods, but also as a conduit for the movement of ideas, faiths, technologies and artistic traditions, creating enduring people-to-people linkages across continents.
The conference will bring together 38 international delegates from 22 countries, along with national participants, including historians, archaeologists, diplomats, policymakers, tourism professionals and cultural practitioners.
Key sessions will examine themes such as cultural exchange and diaspora, the spread of knowledge and belief systems, colonial encounters and their legacies, and the evolution of maritime technologies and logistics.
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