2.63% hike in domestic tourists last year: Says Kerala Tourism Minister Muhammad Riyas

 

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Tourism Minister P A Muhammad Riyas has informed that with 1.88 crore domestic tourists visiting the state in 2022, the department has seen a rise of 2.63%.

‘1.88 crore domestic tourists visited Kerala in 2022. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the maximum number of domestic tourists who used to visit the state in a year was 1,83,84,233 which has now risen to 1,88,67,414, thus growth of 2.63% growth in 2022’, P A Muhammad Riyas said in the Assembly house. He further said that this ‘all-time record’ has been achieved with the people traveling to the six districts, namely Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Wayanad, Alappuzha, Malappuram, and Thiruvananthapuram.

‘The destination wedding has emerged as a post-Covid trend in the Tourism industry. There are weddings conducted at far-off places where the bride and the groom travel with their friends and relatives. Taking note of the trend, Kerala did marketing in the area and now the magazine Travel Leisure has selected it as the best destination for weddings’, he added.

Later in the address, he underlined that European countries have an interest in Ayurvedic treatment, and the state is expected to become a Centre for the same. He said that Kerala is also known for its ‘wellness tourism’. ‘Kerala also succeeds in Wellness Tourism. European countries have an interest in ayurvedic treatment and Kerala is supposed to become its center, though it has not achieved it yet. The tourism department is planning to focus on the sector and to strengthen the marketing and planning for conducting a workshop, here’, he said.

He also termed the Floating bridge as a successful project hinting at its vital role in enhancing Tourism. ‘Floating bridge is a successful project. It has currently started in Kannur and Kozhikode, but we are planning to embark it in nine other districts. The department is planning to utilize all the possibilities of nightlife here’, the Tourism Minister said. The 100 meter-long and 3 metre-wide floating bridge was set up by the state tourism department, in early 2022, at Beypore beach in Kozhikode for tourists to walk along with waves.