Kerala has received an unexpected pat on the back from Goa, one of India’s most popular tourist destinations for decades, with its Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte mentioning “Kerala’s success story” of attracting both “quality” and “quantity” footfall, in the Goa Assembly on Friday.
A drop in high-spending Russians visiting Goa during the post-pandemic period has forced the tourist State to draw lessons from neighbouring emerging markets like Kerala.
Though there had no major difference in the number of foreign tourists visiting Goa and Kerala during the pre-pandemic period, there was a considerable drop in arrivals in Goa in the post-pandemic period, while Kerala has begun retrieving its lost business by repositioning itself in the foreign segment.
Foreign tourist arrivals in Goa stood at 1,69,005 in 2022, while it was 3,45,549 in Kerala, nearly twice.
Industry insiders said though the footfall was relatively high in Kerala during the post-pandemic period, the State had a long way to go. Kerala has a vast array of products ranging from backwater to beach and hill tourism. Further, wellness tourism has been playing a pivotal role in attracting foreigners to Kerala. Goa has been attracting foreigners mainly with its hustling beaches and night parties.
A senior Tourism department official told The Hindu that it was heartening to see that other tourist destinations had started to follow the success story of Kerala. At the same time this was expected to pose some challenges for the State in the coming years. The State had a mix of products to cater to the needs of both ‘quality’ and ‘quantity’ tourists. Unlike the neon party scenes and beach parties in Goa, Kerala showcased its village life before foreign guests.
“For instance, when the G20 Sherpa meeting was hosted in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, Rajasthan spent around ₹30 crore for hosting the event, while Kerala had to spend only ₹1.98 crore for hosting two events each in Kumarakom and Kovalam and one in Ernakulam, showcasing Kerala’s village life and cultural programmes. The delegates who attended the summit were unanimous in praising the State. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself lauded Kerala. This underscores the potential of the State, but a lot needs to be done to tap its full potential. Kerala will soon unleash a campaign blitzkrieg in Russia and other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries as it’s one of the least tapped sectors so far,” said the officer.
