With the tourism season coming to an end, the figures show a growth of 11 percent in foreign tourists arrival and a growth of 9 per cent in domestic tourists. But, those in the sector say that the business was dull this season. Though there was an increase of Rs 271 crore in foreign earnings through the tourism industry, it is being observed that the spending nature of Europeans are on the decline. Interestingly, domestic tourists are spending more to enjoy the beauty of nature in Kerala. Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry president E M Najeeb said that when compared to last year, there was a slight increase in the inflow of tourists to the state. Till December 2012, the market was dull, but it picked up from January to March 2013. “There was a lull feeling in the market during the season because of several factors, such as waste management, diseases and quality issues of destinations. It is time to relook the relevance of destinations and upgrade them to the best standards,” Najeeb said. Aggressive marketing should be conducted during all seasons and prior planning should be done for implementation of various tourism projects. If we follow the right direction in implementing tourism policy, there is much more scope for improving the number of tourists and earnings, he said. According to the statistics of the Tourism Department, the figure of foreign tourist arrival in Kerala during 2011-12 was 7,32,985. It shows an increase of 11.18 percent over the previous year’s figure of 6,59,265.
Domestic tourist arrival during 2011 was 93,81,455 - an increase of 9.15 percent over the previous year’s 85,95,075. Foreign exchange earnings for 2011 was Rs 4221.99 crore, recording an increase of 11.18 per cent over the previous year. Total revenue (direct and indirect) from tourism during 2011-12 was Rs 19,037 crore, showing an increase of 9.74 pc over last year’s figure. Travel Agents Federation of India Kerala chapter chairman Paulose K Mathew said that the expenditure of domestic tourists had been higher than foreign tourists.