Clocking a new record in domestic tourist arrivals, Kerala witnessed a tourist footfall of 2.18 crore guests in 2023, registering a significant 15.92 per cent increase as compared to the previous year. In 2022, Kerala registered footfalls of 1.88 crore domestic tourists. Significantly, domestic tourist arrivals recorded an increase of 18.97 per cent when compared to the pre-COVID year of 2019.
In 2023, Ernakulam district witnessed the highest influx 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). Kerala also witnessed a healthy increase in international tourist arrivals with 6,49,057 visitors in 2023, as compared to 3,45,549 tourists in 2022, indicating a remarkable growth of 87.83 per cent.
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 all-time record in domestic tourist footfalls signified not just the recovery from the devastation wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic but also a huge endorsement of the State’s high standing as an all-season experiential tourism hub, said Minister for Tourism and Public Works P.A. Mohamed Riyas.
