God’s Own Country navigates big hurdles to revive tourism sector

Kerala’s stunning landscapes, biodiversity, and affluent civilization person made it 1 of India’s premier destinations for home and planetary tourists. Aptly branded ‘God’s Own Country’ since 1989, the State’s scenic charm is hard to defy for the mean traveller. It is simply a haven for wanderers, with foggy mountains, winding rivers, and surging waterfalls acceptable amid lush greenery, pristine beaches on its mostly unspoiled 580-km coastline, and the famed backwaters. Idukki and Wayanad captivate visitors with their spice-laden aerial and immense coffee, tea, cardamom, and capsicum plantations that thrust overmuch of India’s spice production.

Adding to this entreaty are the sparkling peacock-blue waters of the Arabian Sea and the unsocial geography wedged betwixt the Western Ghats and the coast. On the taste front, accepted Kathakali dance-drama performances and the spectacular snake vessel races held during the Onam festival connection a ocular dainty to visitors. Nature, culture, and built structures that constituent to a past imbued with monumental governmental and societal struggles marque it a fascinating portion for visitors.

The State’s system is heavy babelike connected its increasing tourism sector, which contributes astir 10% of the State’s gross home merchandise (GSDP). Kerala’s past maritime commercialized with the Romans, Phoenicians, Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, and English helped marque the State progressively fashionable among planetary travellers implicit the centuries. This rising involvement continued until recently, particularly successful the years starring up to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The State recorded a highest of 11.89 lakh overseas tourer arrivals successful 2019, but the momentum collapsed aft the pandemic hit. Arrivals fell to 3.40 lakh successful 2020 and past to a debased of 0.64 lakh successful 2021. Signs of betterment appeared successful 2022, erstwhile Kerala reopened aft easing COVID-19 restrictions, with overseas arrivals rising to 3.45 lakh. This was followed by 6.49 lakh visitors successful 2023 and 7.38 lakh successful 2024, inactive lone astir 62% of the pre-pandemic level.

Overall tourism numbers, however, looked stronger: Kerala attracted astir 2.3 crore home and planetary tourists successful 2024, generating astir ₹45,000 crore successful nonstop and indirect revenue. Domestic tourism has driven this growth, fuelled by “revenge travel” among Keralites. After attracting 1.83 crore home visitors successful 2019, the State rapidly surpassed pre-pandemic levels with 1.88 crore successful 2022, past acceptable caller records of 2.18 crore successful 2023 and 2.24 crore successful 2024.

Keralites made up 68.5% of home tourists successful 2024, followed by Tamil Nadu (10.52%), Karnataka (6.22%), Maharashtra (3.37%), Andhra Pradesh (1.95%), Gujarat (1.38%), Delhi (1.32%), Telangana (1.12%), Uttar Pradesh (0.92%), and West Bengal (0.8%). British tourists continued to pb the overseas conception with 14.55%, followed by the U.S. (13.33%), Germany (6.24%), France (6.12%), Malaysia (5.55%), Oman (5.2%), Australia (4.32%), the Maldives (4.1%), Saudi Arabia (4.05%), UAE (3.35%), Canada (2.32%), Italy (2.26%), Russia (1.87%), Singapore (1.61%), and Spain (1.48%).

Several factors person contributed to sluggish overseas tourer arrivals, including exorbitant post-COVID airfares, visa restrictions imposed by countries similar the U.K., and stiff contention from neighbouring destinations similar Sri Lanka. The land federation has progressively go a lower-cost alternative, providing products and experiences akin to those successful Kerala.

According to Sajeev Kurup, wide caput of the Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industries (CKTI), Sri Lanka present offers Ayurveda treatments for $100 compared to Kerala’s $150. With wellness tourists comprising astir 70% of Kerala’s overseas visitors, Sri Lanka’s competitory pricing poses a important challenge.

In the leisure sector, Kerala has to vie with countries specified arsenic Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, wherever simplified visa regimes and affordable circuit packages person been drafting planetary tourists, including Indians, according to James Kodianthara, erstwhile chairperson of the Kerala section of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO).

Evolving planetary geopolitics has formed a shadiness implicit Kerala’s prospects successful caller years. This includes escalating unit successful parts of the world, peculiarly the Ukraine-Russia war, and instability successful West Asia driven by the Israel-Palestine conflict, which has spilled beyond some territories. Economic uncertainty successful Europe has added to these challenges.

Though buoyant home tourism has partially offset the shortfall successful overseas visitors, the mean spending of overseas tourists remains acold higher. Kerala’s system and fragile situation payment from promoting overseas tourism, arsenic an mean overseas visitant spends astir ₹1 lakh locally per trip, compared with conscionable one-eighth of that by home tourists.

Environmental challenges

Despite its scenic beauty, Kerala is an environmentally and ecologically fragile region. Situated on India’s westbound seashore and bordered by the Western Ghats to the east, which are to Kerala what the Himalayas are to North India, the State is prone to catastrophic landslides and flash floods, particularly during the four-month southwest monsoon season, which brings astir 2,000 mm of rainfall from June to September. Climate change-induced monsoon variability has kept the State connected edge, peculiarly aft the 2018 floods that claimed astir 500 lives successful August.

The astir caller catastrophe struck successful precocious July 2024, erstwhile implicit 572 mm of rainfall fell successful conscionable 48 hours, triggering monolithic landslides successful Wayanad’s Chooralmala and Mundakkai regions. Around 300 radical were killed, and galore others went missing. Kerala is inactive reeling from the shock. Popular elevation destinations for monsoon tourism appeared deserted, arsenic visitors, wary of rain-related hazards, stayed away.

The interaction was evident successful 2024’s home tourer statistics, with maturation plummeting to conscionable 1.7%, compared with 15.92% successful 2023. Pre-pandemic, Kerala’s home tourism had averaged astir 10% yearly growth. The crisp diminution is mostly attributed to the Wayanad landslide, which disrupted tourism crossed elevation stations, including faraway Idukki, arsenic travellers avoided the portion during the rainy season, acrophobic astir hidden dangers beneath the scenic landscapes.

Bleak August

In fact, fearfulness of floods and disasters gripped the radical of Kerala, peculiarly successful August, aft back-to-back earthy calamities struck the State, driven by utmost rainfall events. Two consecutive floods successful August 2018 and 2019, followed by a bid of landslides successful consequent years during the aforesaid month, discouraged tourists from visiting.

According to manufacture stakeholders, it is mean for tourism activities to travel to a halt instantly aft immoderate earthy calamity oregon wellness emergency, arsenic some overseas and home travellers thin to debar disaster-prone areas. For instance, during Nipah microorganism outbreaks successful Kerala, the tourism assemblage was among the archetypal to beryllium affected, with reduced bookings and cancellations of home and planetary itineraries owed to fearfulness and question advisories. Similarly, fatalities from scattered amoebic meningoencephalitis infections besides impacted tourism. It is up to the State authorities to reconstruct assurance among travellers by announcing the reopening of destinations, highlighting their safety, and adhering to champion practices.

Carrying capacity

Kerala’s elevation stations look mounting unit from wide tourism successful ecologically susceptible areas. Although the Kerala High Court directed the State past September to behaviour carrying capableness studies of each elevation stations wrong a month, the authorities has yet to modulate wide tourism, the signifier of allowing ample numbers of tourists successful a concentrated timeframe, particularly successful the fragile Western Ghats.

The interaction is astir disposable successful Idukki and Wayanad. In 2023, one-fourth of Kerala’s 2.18 crore home tourists, astir 54 lakh, visited these 2 elevation districts alone. This counts lone tourists who booked accommodations; day-trippers who get successful the greeting and permission by evening aren’t included successful authoritative figures. The existent fig could beryllium 4 times higher.

Tourist numbers successful Kerala’s Western Ghats acold transcend the carrying capableness of some the destinations and entree roads. Despite repeated earthy disasters, the State has conducted nary superior studies connected carrying capableness oregon optimal tourer limits for these ecologically fragile areas.

This harms some the hospitality assemblage and the region’s fragile ecology. Industry insiders pass that tourists seeking tranquil destinations volition progressively look elsewhere. Kerala’s nonaccomplishment to curb unsustainable practices drew planetary attraction aft the 2024 landslide, erstwhile Fodor’s Travel placed the State connected its No List 2025 for the archetypal time, citing biology issues and unsustainable tourism.

Fodor’s Travel, a starring authorization successful question recommendations for implicit 85 years, publishes yearly Go and No lists highlighting destinations to sojourn oregon avoid. Kerala appeared successful the “destinations opening to suffer” class alongside Agrigento, Sicily (facing h2o crises worsened by tourism) and the British Virgin Islands (overwhelmed by cruise tourism). Bali, described arsenic a “plastic apocalypse,” topped the list, portion Mount Everest made the “Perennial No List.”

According to Fodor’s, Kerala’s tourism surge has worsened the interaction of earthy disasters, peculiarly wherever improvement has obstructed h2o travel and accrued landslide risk. The work cited mostly unregulated and unsustainable improvement that harms section communities and ecosystems. Kerala’s placement connected the database considered the 2024 Wayanad tragedy, galore landslides betwixt 2015 and 2022, and the shrinking of Vembanad Lake (the backbone of Kerala’s backwater tourism) caused by floods, amerciable construction, and unchecked tourism.

Safe Kerala campaign

Kerala rapidly launched a ‘Safe Kerala’ run to reconstruct assurance successful its tourism industry. Soon aft the Wayanad landslide, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition successful the Indian Parliament, appealed to tourists via societal media to sojourn Wayanad. “It is important to enactment that the landslide was localised to a circumstantial country successful Wayanad, not the full region. Wayanad remains a stunning destination and volition soon beryllium acceptable to invited tourists from crossed India and the satellite with each its earthy charm,” helium posted connected X. Kerala Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas viewed the consequent uptick successful tourism, peculiarly home travel, arsenic encouraging. Kerala Tourism hopes to support this momentum.

The State authorities is present devising strategies to pull overseas tourists to northbound Kerala, wherever planetary arrivals stay low. Most overseas visitors instrumentality to a accepted confederate circuit: Fort Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, Alappuzha’s houseboats, and beaches similar Kovalam and Varkala successful Thiruvananthapuram.

Though Kerala’s earthy disasters temporarily benefited neighbouring States, with galore tourists choosing Karnataka’s Coorg, Gundlupet, and Mysuru, and Tamil Nadu’s Ooty and Kodaikanal aft the Wayanad tragedy, visitors soon began returning to Kerala.

Tapping Southeast Asia market

To antagonistic Colombo’s competition, Kerala indispensable pat caller overseas markets, peculiarly Malaysia, Singapore, and countries similar Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine.

Sri Lanka’s tourism resurgence pursuing years of economical instability and civilian unrest has pushed Kerala to follow innovative strategies to support its hospitality assemblage dominance. The 2 destinations stock striking similarities: panoramic landscapes, pristine beaches, thriving wildlife, verdant hills, comparable cuisine, and climate. Sri Lanka’s interaction connected Kerala is evident successful some destinations’ tourism statistics.

Tourist accomplishment statistic from Sri Lanka pursuing the civilian unrest of the aboriginal 2000s intelligibly bespeak increasing overseas penchant for Colombo implicit Kerala successful caller years, contempt Kerala’s renowned backwaters and presumption arsenic the cradle of Ayurveda (offerings for which Sri Lanka has nary existent alternatives). Foreign tourer arrivals successful Sri Lanka and Kerala stood astatine 6.54 lakh and 6.59 lakh respectively successful 2010, hardly a twelvemonth aft the land nation’s civilian warfare ended.

Over the adjacent decade, Colombo outpaced Kerala successful overseas tourer arrivals, reaching 23 lakh successful 2018 compared to Kerala’s highest of 11.89 lakh successful 2019. Though Sri Lanka’s tourism plummeted to 7.19 lakh successful 2022 pursuing the 2019 Easter bombings, COVID-19, and fiscal crisis, it rebounded sharply to 14.87 lakh successful 2023 and 2 cardinal successful 2024. Meanwhile, Kerala hosted conscionable 7.38 lakh overseas tourists successful 2024, hardly supra its 2010 figures. Interestingly, Indians present comprise the largest stock of Sri Lanka’s overseas visitors, followed by Russians and Britons.

In a media interaction, Kerala Tourism Minister Mohamed Riyas acknowledged that Sri Lanka’s main vantage is its superior aerial connectivity. As a state with a nationalist airline, Sri Lanka connects Colombo to cities worldwide. Meanwhile Kerala, a tiny Indian state, has nonstop flights lone to West Asia and prime Far Eastern destinations. This is Kerala’s biggest shortcoming.

However, Kerala Tourism has acceptable a people of regaining the pre-pandemic fig of 11.5 lakh overseas tourists by 2026. The archetypal large measurement toward this extremity was the motorboat of the Look East run successful April 2025 to pull visitors from 8 East Asian countries, including China. As portion of the initiative, a 90-member delegation toured the State. The delegation comprised societal media influencers and 40 outbound circuit operators from China, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Vietnam, and Laos. The run has already boosted arrivals from Malaysia and Singapore, aided by their nonstop formation connectivity with Kerala.

The State authorities has approved delegations to be B2B meetings and tourism fairs successful South Asia, arsenic good arsenic commercialized fairs successful Singapore, Thailand, Germany, Australia, and the U.K. Tourist arrivals from Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia person accrued successful caller years, with 40,197 Malaysian visitors successful 2019, followed by 35,066 Russians and 11,883 Singaporeans. Kerala hopes to pat Southeast Asian markets done improved formation connectivity and fortify its beingness successful planetary markets to reenforce the connection that Kerala is harmless and acceptable to invited travellers.

Experimenting caller products

As Kerala campaigns aggressively to woo tourists back, the State indispensable besides experimentation with caller products and experiences. Whilst backwater and wellness tourism stay Kerala’s flagship offerings, the State has precocious launched caravan tourism.

The caravan tourism task remains successful its nascent signifier and has yet to seizure manufacture stakeholders’ imagination. Despite authorities incentives for investors, backstage assemblage effect has been lukewarm — lone 2 caravan parks person opened truthful far. Consequently, the Kerala authorities plans to found 10 nationalist assemblage caravan parks, bringing the full to 15-20 wrong a year.

Kerala volition besides motorboat a caravan app providing details connected parks, vehicles, availability, and rental rates. The project, titled ‘Keravan Kerala’ and launched successful 2021, stalled owed to insufficient caravan parks successful some sectors. The inaugural aims astatine offering tourists a comfy mode to acquisition the Western Ghats and different eco-destinations from their caravans.

Cinema Tourism & Destination Challenge

Cinema Tourism envisaged by Kerala aims astatine tapping destinations depicted successful fashionable Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi movies. The tourism section volition place these movie locations and promote visits by giving them a facelift.

The Destination Challenge is simply a Kerala Tourism Department task to make astatine slightest 1 tourer destination wrong each section body’s limits, with costs shared jointly betwixt the section and section bodies. This is expected to trim unit connected existing tourer destinations. The State authorities precocious gave administrative sanctions to make 39 destinations crossed assorted section bodies nether the project.

Apart from these initiatives, Kerala Tourism is introducing a gender-inclusive and women-friendly tourism policy, arsenic adjacent to 60% of tourists who sojourn the State’s destinations are women and children. This builds connected steps launched successful 2022 nether the Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission Society to marque the State a women-friendly destination. The Mission’s experiential tourism packages are fashionable among tourists, particularly foreigners, arsenic they let taste and economical engagement with destinations beyond specified sightseeing. Tourists actively enactment successful section customs, sensation authentic colony cuisine, and larn caller skills to make deeper affectional connections with destinations and their people.

The mode forward

Meanwhile, manufacture experts consciousness that alternatively than focusing connected fancy services similar caravan tourism and floating bridges, Kerala would immensely payment from prioritising accessible basal infrastructure portion preserving the earthy charm of destinations.

Kerala could showcase its affluent and surviving practice done projects specified arsenic the Muziris-Spice Route Heritage Project, which features a wide array of heritage, archaeological, religious, colonial, and vocational sites on the Alappuzha backwaters and the Periyar river. Reviving this uniquely conceptualised project, present unluckily connected the backmost burner, would beryllium the close measurement towards attracting discerning planetary travellers.

Further, amended coordination betwixt the Forest Department and Tourism Department to organise curated treks astatine ecotourism spots could pull overseas tourists seeking authentic, experiential engagement with destinations.

Kerala calling

Despite earthy setbacks and planetary crises, Kerala remains a unsocial destination for each travellers. Its charm lies successful offering caller experiences that span unsocial taste facets and the hidden gems of verdant nature.

This nonfiction is portion of The Hindu e-book. Kerala: a exemplary State’s paradox