The state also witnessed a healthy increase in the number of international tourists with 6,49,057 visitors in 2023 compared to 3,45,549 tourists in 2022, indicating a remarkable growth of 87.83 percent.
Kerala has set a new record in domestic tourist arrivals in 2023 with 2.18 crore tourist footfalls, an increase of 15.92 per cent over the previous year, Tourism and Public Works Minister PA Mohamed Riyas said on Monday.
In 2022, Kerala witnessed 1,88,67,414 domestic tourist footprints.
Significantly, the number of domestic tourists registered an increase of 18.97 percent over 2019, the minister told a press conference here.
In 2023, Ernakulam district witnessed the highest inflow of domestic tourists with 44,87,930 visitors, followed by Idukki (36,33,584), Thiruvananthapuram (35,89,932), Thrissur (24,78,573) and Wayanad (17,50,267) .
The state also witnessed a healthy increase in the number of international tourists with 6,49,057 visitors in 2023 compared to 3,45,549 tourists in 2022, indicating a remarkable growth of 87.83 percent.
Ernakulam district was visited by 2,79,904 tourists from abroad, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (1,48,462), Idukki (1,03,644), Alappuzha (31,403) and Kottayam (28,458).
“This is a testament to the strong efforts of Kerala Tourism, based on well-thought-out policy initiatives and carefully implemented promotional strategies within and outside the country,” Riyas said.
Regarding the number of visitors from abroad, the minister pointed out that despite a significant increase, this was still 45.45 percent lower compared to international tourist arrivals before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While there has been a steady increase in the arrival of foreign tourists, which have been negatively affected by the pandemic, it will take some time to reach pre-pandemic levels, he said.
“The conflicts in some parts of the world also have consequences for international tourism. Despite these challenges, good progress has been made in the number of foreign tourists in Kerala. The adventure tourism events planned for this year will help us regain much of the lost ground. working on plans to attract more tourists to the Malabar region,” the minister added.
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First print: March 4, 2024 | 11:54 PM IST