Domestic tourism marks good footfall in Kerala

77.6% of domestic visitors in 2022 were from Kerala itself, with T. N. coming next

Though neighbouring States had placed restrictions on the movement of people to and from Kerala during the peak of COVID-19, recent data reveal that there has been an increase in the inflow of domestic tourists to Kerala of late. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh account for the major share of domestic tourists visiting Kerala.

Out of the 37.94 lakh tourists who visited Kerala destinations in the first quarter of the 2022, 29.46 lakh tourists, i.e. 77.6% of the total domestic arrivals, were from the State itself. Tamil Nadu accounted for the highest number of tourists from other States with 2.73 lakh tourists from that State visiting Kerala. The figure was 1.66 lakh tourists in the corresponding period of 2021.

It was followed by Karnataka with 1.85 lakh tourists (1.02 lakh in 2021-Q1), Maharashtra with 1.09 lakh (0.49 lakh in 2021-Q1), and Andhra Pradesh with 0.5 lakh (0.21 lakh in 2021-Q1).

Among the destinations, the most popular were Kochi-Athirappilly, Kochi-Munnar, Kochi-Alappuzha, and Kochi-Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple-Kovalam (Thiruvananthapuram).

Some tourists from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu also preferred the hilly destination of Wayanad due to its proximity to Bengaluru and Mysuru. Despite the high-octane campaign to promote other destinations, the Kochi-Idukki-Alappuzha-Thiruvananthapuram circuit remains the main attraction, said officials. Another notable factor is that there has been a greater interest among Keralites to explore destinations inside the State after COVID-19.