Kerala tourism hits record high in 2025, footfall touches 2.58 crore

Kerala continues to set new benchmarks in tourism, with the State recording its highest-ever tourist arrivals in 2025.

Speaking to mediapersons in Kozhikode on Monday (February 16, 2026), Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, citing the latest official figures, said a total of 2.58 crore guests visited Kerala during the year, surpassing the previous record of 2.29 crore arrivals in 2024.

The State welcomed an additional 28,95,002 tourists in 2025 compared to the previous year, marking a significant surge and reinforcing its growing appeal as a top travel destination, Mr. Riyas said.

He said Kerala registered footfalls of 2.5 crore domestic tourists in 2025, up from 2.22 crore in the previous year, marking an increase of 12.46%. Domestic tourist arrivals recorded an increase of 36.3% compared to the pre-COVID level.

Among the districts, Idukki recorded the highest number of domestic tourist arrivals at 46,79,800, followed by Ernakulam (44,29,899), Thiruvananthapuram (43,75,846), Thrissur (31,24,696), Wayanad (14,73,710), and Kozhikode (14,69,253).

Outside Kerala, the major contributing States in terms of domestic tourist arrivals were Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, the Tourism Minister said.

Regarding foreign tourists, Mr. Riyas said the State was slowly reaching pre-COVID levels. “War-like conditions prevailing in various parts of the world are one of the major reasons for this. In 2025, as many as 8,21,999 foreign guests visited Kerala, an 11.3% increase compared to the previous year,” he said.

Most visitors arrived from the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the Maldives. Ernakulam district led in the arrival of foreign visitors, followed by Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Alappuzha, and Kottayam.

The Minister attributed the achievement to the “well-planned initiatives” undertaken by Kerala Tourism. “The renovation of rest houses has brought about a significant transformation, and a large percentage of those using these facilities are tourists. Considerable progress has been achieved in north Kerala,” he said.

“Accommodation facilities, including five-star hotels, have increased in districts such as Kasaragod. Better roads have also been developed. As a result, districts such as Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Thrissur, which had earlier lagged behind in tourist arrivals, have witnessed a surge. This has brought substantial changes in the tourism sector in the Malabar region,” said Mr. Riyas, adding that Kerala would soon emerge as a full-fledged “tourism State.”

Published – February 16, 2026 03:16 pm IST