Kerala witnessed the highest number of tourist arrivals in its history last year, state tourism minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas said on Monday.
A total of 2,58,80,365 tourists from outside the state visited Kerala last year, the highest since the state's formation, Riyas said, per PTI. The number was 28,95,002 higher than tourist arrivals in 2025.
The number of domestic tourist arrivals increased by 12.64 per cent, and this was 36.03 per cent higher compared to the pre-Covid period, he said.
Idukki district topped the state in domestic tourist arrivals, recording 46,79,800 visitors, followed by Ernakulam with 44,29,899, Thiruvananthapuram with 43,75,846, and Thrissur with 31,24,696.
Earlier tourist arrivals in north Kerala, from Thrissur to Kasaragod district, accounted for just 6 per cent of the state's total but this share has risen significantly in recent years, the minister said.
Riyas said that when the LDF government retained power in 2021, the state was severely impacted by Covid-19, and the tourism sector was on ventilator with fears of some tourism centres closing forever.
To overcome the crisis, the government held discussions with all stakeholders in the tourism sector, he said.
"We then prepared a plan to overcome the crisis in each phase. We had a clear perception of how the tourism sector should move ahead when the Covid-19 situation eased, which has now helped us improve tourist arrivals," he said.
He said various strategies, including adopting technology, were used to boost tourism.
Riyas said PWD rest houses are being developed so that tourists can visit the state and stay in more affordable places.
He added that with the completion of National Highway-66 works, connectivity issues in the state would be resolved and more tourists would visit far-flung districts as well.