Kerala logged record tourist arrivals in 2025, says minister P A Mohamed Riyas

Kozhikode: Tourism minister P A Mohamed Riyas said that Kerala recorded the highest number of tourism arrivals in the history of the state in 2025. On Monday, Riyas said that as the LDF govt is completing five years, Kerala is consistently breaking records in tourist arrivals. He added that according to the latest figures for 2025, a total of 2,58,80,365 tourists visited the state, surpassing the 2024 record by nearly 30 lakhs. In comparison, 2,29,85,363 tourists arrived in the state in 2024. The minister said that a major surge has been recorded in domestic tourist arrivals. In 2025, 2,50,58,366 domestic tourists visited Kerala, compared to 2,22,46,989 the previous year — an increase of 12.46%, and 36.3% higher than pre-Covid levels. Idukki recorded the highest domestic arrivals (46,79,800), followed by Ernakulam (44,29,899), Thiruvananthapuram (43,75,846), Thrissur (31,24,696), Wayanad (14,73,710) and Kozhikode (14,69,253). In terms of foreign tourist arrivals, the state is only now returning to pre-Covid levels, with global conflicts cited as a key reason. In 2025, 8,21,999 foreign tourists visited Kerala – an 11.3% increase over the previous year. Most visitors came from United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Maldives. Among districts, Ernakulam led in foreign arrivals, followed by Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Alappuzha and Kottayam. He said that when the LDF govt was re-elected in 2021, the tourism sector was on ventilator, severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The govt created an action plan to surmount the challenges posed by the pandemic and held discussions with stakeholders and strategies were used including adopting modern technology to boost tourism numbers and campaigns showcasing the hospitality of the people of the state. Renovation of PWD rest houses has brought major improvements, with a large share of occupants now being tourists. Northern Kerala has seen notable growth, with accommodation facilities — including five-star hotels — increasing in districts such as Kasaragod. Improved roads and infrastructure have also helped boost arrivals.