THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Reaffirming Kerala's pre-eminent position as a highly preferred destination for global and domestic tourists, backwater hub Kumarakom has topped an all-India survey of revenue gained by hotels and resorts in popular leisure destinations.
Kumarakom posted the highest revenue per available room (RevPar) in the financial year 2022-23.
The survey, 'Indian Hospitality Trends and Opportunities', conducted by hospitality consulting firm Hotelivate also reveals that the famed beach destination Kovalam here has earned third place in a list of top 15 destinations.
RevPar, an industry metric used by hotels to price their rooms, refers to revenue generated per available room whether occupied or not, an official statement said here.
According to the 26th edition of the survey, properties in Kumarakom had a RevPar of Rs 11,758 in FY 23 compared to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand (Rs 10,506) and Kovalam (Rs 9,087), which come in second and third, it said.
Metros such as Mumbai (Rs 7,226) and Delhi (Rs 6,016) stand sixth and 11th respectively as per the survey.
This is the second year in a row that hotels in leisure destinations posted the highest RevPar, it says.
The report, which analyses the industry performance by star category, administrative zones and 20 major hotel markets, has a participation base of 1,540 hotels representing a total inventory of 1,65,172 rooms, the statement said.
"This survey clearly shows that tourism in Kerala has been on a steady surge, completely overcoming the downturn triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic," said State Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas.
Set in the backdrop of Vembanad Lake, Kumarakom village is a popular tourist destination dotted with canals and backwaters.
Its panoramic rural settings, heritage, and lifestyle have set a standard for the Kerala model of globally acclaimed Responsible Tourism (RT).
Earlier this year, Kumarakom successfully hosted a meeting of G20 sherpas -- after the state's tourism activities went through a major downturn during the floods in 2018 and COVID-19.
Apart from Kumarakom and Kovalam, the top 15 on the list include Srinagar (4th position), Udaipur (5), Goa (7), Mussoorie (8), Ranthambore (9), Mahabaleshwar (10), Shimla (12), Varanasi (13), Ooty (14), and Lonavala (15).
Hotels in metro cities have higher year-round occupancy compared to leisure destinations, the statement said, adding that they also have a large corporate customer base, which has contracted rates that pull down the RevPar compared to leisure destinations.