Visits since 1 Apr 2024
6,175,355
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Strongly overcoming the setback caused by the COVID pandemic, Kerala Tourism has bounced back, clocking 3.8 million domestic tourists in the first quarter of 2022, thus marking an impressive growth of 72.48% as compared to 2.2 million footfalls during the corresponding period in 2021, Tourism Minister Mr P. A. Mohamed Riyas has said.
Going by the trend, Kerala Tourism is set to attract a record number of tourists this year on the strength of its globally-acclaimed assets, new products and initiatives like caravan tourism, and by exploring the unexplored destinations across the state, Mr Riyas explained at a press meet.
Mr K. S. Srinivas, Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism, and Mr V. R. Krishna Teja, Director, Kerala Tourism, were also present at the press meet.
Mr Riyas said Ernakulam district registered the highest number - 811,426 domestic tourists, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (600,933), Idukki (511,947), Thrissur (358,052), and Wayanad (310,322).
Five districts - Idukki, Malappuram, Kasaragod, Pathanamthitta and Wayanad - registered the highest ever footfall since their formation.
Overall, there was a significant increase of 16 lakh tourists in the first three months of the current year compared to the corresponding period last year. This healthy uptick in the number of tourists from within the country indicates that the domestic segment of Kerala Tourism has recovered from the impact of the pandemic, the Minister noted.
On the ambitious project to explore the unexplored destinations, he said the government will soon announce a ‘Destination Challenge’ initiative in association with the local self-government department (LSGD) to identify at least one destination under each LSG institution. The LSGs will be the main beneficiaries of this project.
Noting that the upkeep of tourism centres is vital, Mr Riyas said tourism clubs will be formed on college campuses, as youngsters can work together effectively as volunteers in keeping tourist assets well maintained.
The Director of Tourism said the arrival of foreign tourists is also expected to pick up with the resumption of international flights, which had remained suspended during the pandemic period.
As for foreign tourist arrivals, the number increased from 14,489 in the first quarter of 2021 to 43,547 during the corresponding period in the current year, notching a significant increase of 200.55%. Thus, there was a spike of about 29,000 foreign tourist arrivals in Kerala during the three months.
The foreign tourists mainly focused on Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram districts.
A 360-degree marketing campaign conducted by the Kerala Tourism during October-December 2021 has immensely contributed to the huge success of Kerala Tourism during this period.
After the pandemic-enforced hiatus of two years, Kerala Tourism also organized the first business-to-business meets in the European cities of Madrid and Milan, besides Muscat and Manama in the Middle East. This outreach has enhanced the confidence that the state will be able to attract visitors in large numbers from Europe and the Middle East in the months ahead.
The Tourism Department has also launched a WhatsApp chatbot ‘Maya’, which is a virtual tour guide.
