Kozhikode (Kerala), February 16 Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas said on Monday that 2025 witnessed the highest number of tourist arrivals in Kerala's history.
Speaking to reporters, he said that 2,58,80,365 tourists from outside the state visited Kerala last year, the highest since the state's formation.
He said that compared to 2024, an additional 28,95,002 tourists visited Kerala in 2025.
The number of domestic tourist arrivals increased by 12.64 percent, and this was 36.03 percent higher compared to the pre-Covid period, he said.
Riyas said that the 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.
Major contributing states include Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, he said.
He said that earlier, tourist arrivals in North Kerala, from Thrissur to Kasaragod district, accounted for just six percent of the state's total, but this share has risen significantly in recent years.
The minister said that in 2025, Kerala received 8,21,999 foreign tourists, registering an 11.3 percent increase over the previous year.
He noted that ongoing war-like situations in various parts of the world have affected international travel.
The highest number of foreign tourists came from the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the Maldives.
Ernakulam topped the list in foreign tourist arrivals, followed by Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Alappuzha and Kottayam, Riyas said.
He said the achievement would give a major boost to the state's tourism sector.
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 a ventilator, with the perception that some tourism centres would be closed 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 that various strategies, including adopting technology, were used to boost tourism.
Riyas said that 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.
