THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major achievement for Kerala tourism, the state hits an all-time record in domestic tourist arrivals in 2022. As many as 1.88 crore domestic tourists visited the state last year, which brought a fresh lease of life for the state's tourism sector, which was ailing due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas informed the Kerala Assembly here on Tuesday.
He said the maximum number of domestic tourists to Kerala in a year was 1,83,84,233 in the pre-Covid era. In 2022 it has increased to 1,88,67,414 which is a 2.63 % growth in 2022.
The Minister also stated that six districts in the state set an all-time high in terms of domestic tourist arrivals. The districts of Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Wayanad, Alappuzha, Malappuram, and Thiruvananthapuram made the most gains.
Riyas said the tourist arrivals reached an all-time record in these districts. Meanwhile, Ernakulam district received the highest number of domestic tourists. In 2022 while Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Thrissur and Wayanad districts followed, the MInister informed the assembly in the question and answer session.
However, Riyas also pointed out that the arrival of foreign tourists is yet to see a big jump, even though the arrivals are better compared to the last two years. " The Covid situation prevails in many parts of the world, and hence the state is yet to see a big number of foreign tourist arrivals, " he said.
New design policy
In a bid to beautify the roads in the state as part of tourism development, the state government has formulated a new design policy, Riyas informed the assembly. He said that the state government is giving the utmost importance to the design of the roads at international levels. The Minister also added that heritage tourism in the state would be strengthened. He further pointed out the achievements of Kerala tourism, which included its brand name as a favourite wedding destination.