THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There may be a slump in the number of tourist arrivals, but when it comes to the number of luxury hotels, Kerala comes first in India as per the statistics released by the Union Ministry of Tourism.
The data from 2019 to April 2025 highlights the state’s growth in the hospitality sector.
Apart from five-star hotels, Kerala also leads in the number of four-star and three-star hotels, leaving other states far behind.
According to the data, Kerala currently has 94 five-star hotels, 420 four-star hotels and 607 three-star hotels. Maharashtra, which stands second, has 86 five-star hotels, 36 four-star hotels and 69 three-star hotels. Gujarat comes third with 76 five-star hotels, along with 61 four-star and 120 three-star hotels.
Other states like Goa, Karnataka and Delhi are on the list but considerably behind in terms of the number of hotels.
One contributing factor to the rise in star-rated hotels is the state's regulation that requires a minimum three-star status for hotels to obtain a bar license.
During the UDF government led by Oommen Chandy, bar licenses were restricted to five-star hotels, pushing many four-star and three-star hotels to invest heavily to upgrade to five-star status.
However, later, the succeeding Left government allowed four-star and three-star hotels to also obtain bar licenses, further encouraging hotel growth.