Visits since 1 Apr 2024
6,175,355
Visits since 1 Jan 2007 48,036,944
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Kerala made a record-setting 196 per cent surge in domestic tourist arrivals in the first three quarters of the current year as compared to the corresponding period a year ago, reflecting a spectacular comeback from the pandemic-triggered downturn, the Tourism Minister Mr P. A. Mohamed Riyas has said.
Sending clear signals that Kerala’s crucial travel and hospitality sector is poised to surpass pre-pandemic levels, the state received a total of 1,33,80,000 domestic tourists in nine months till this September, notching a 1.49 per cent increase as compared to the same period before COVID-19 struck the world, the minister said.
Also, the January-September period this year saw a 600 per cent stride in foreign tourist arrivals to Kerala, and the state is expected to host more overseas travellers as the world is opening up after the pandemic-induced restrictions.
On the whole, Kerala Tourism grew by 120 per cent amid a 12.07 per cent surge in state Gross Domestic Product in 2021-22, which is above the national average, as cited by the Department of Economics and Statistics, the minister said.
“Kerala managed to put the tourism sector back on its growth trajectory by adopting timely policies with the required flexibility. The state has succeeded in guaranteeing safe tourism, supplemented with new products,” Mr Riyas said.
Kerala’s caravan tourism, Keravan Kerala, launched during the pandemic period, will be further developed as it has tremendous scope to attract foreign tourists. As part of this, plans are afoot to develop caravan parks in Bolgatty and Kumarakom, the minister said.
This July, Time magazine featured Kerala among the world’s 50 extraordinary destinations to be explored in 2022. The newsmagazine of international repute particularly lauded Kerala’s caravan tourism project that promises a safe, customized and closest-to-Nature travel experience, Mr Riyas said.
The third quarter of 2022 saw Ernakulam district ranking first in domestic tourism with 28,93,961 tourist visits, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (21,46,969), Idukki (17,85,276), Thrissur (15,07,511), and Wayanad (10,93,175).
There has been a notable increase in footfalls in three upland districts of the state - Idukki (47.55%), Wayanad (34.57%), and Pathanamthitta (47.69%).
