Domestic tourism in Kerala soars, foreign arrivals remain tepid

Riding high on the surging domestic tourism, Kerala registered a record 2.58 crore tourist arrivals in the State in 2025. Of the 2.58 crore tourists, 2.5 crore were domestic, while international travellers numbered only 8.2 lakh, still below pre-COVID-19 levels.

Compared to the previous year, 2025 witnessed positive growth, with around 28.95 lakh more tourists visiting the State. However, the buoyancy in the growth was mainly due to the rise in domestic tourism. Around 12.46% growth is registered in the domestic sector in 2025, with 2,50,58,366 domestic tourist arrivals against 2,22,46,989 in 2024, an increase of 12.46% and 36.3% more than the pre-pandemic period.

Idukki attracts the most tourists among the districts, with 46,79,800 visitors, followed by Ernakulam (44,29,899), Thiruvananthapuram (43,75,846), Thrissur (31,24,696), Wayanad (14,73,710), and Kozhikode (14,69,253). The lion’s share of domestic tourists are Keralites, with significant numbers from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

In the international tourist segment, Kerala continues to struggle due to geopolitical conflicts and global economic uncertainties. In 2024, the State welcomed 7,38,374 foreign tourists. In 2025, it posted a growth of 11.3% in 2025, with 8,21,999 foreign visitors. The peak was in 2019, with 1,189,771 foreign tourists before the COVID-19 outbreak.

Kerala quickly recovered in domestic tourism post-COVID-19, but the slow recovery of foreign tourism is concerning. Historically, the most visitors came from the U.K., U.S., Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the Maldives. Ernakulam district leads in foreign tourist numbers, followed by Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Alappuzha, and Kottayam.

According to Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, the buoyancy in the tourism sector is the result of the coordinated and planned activities carried out by Kerala Tourism over the years. There has been good improvement in the footfall of tourists in north Kerala districts, where accommodation facilities, including five-star hotels, have increased along with improvements in road infrastructure, he added.