Kerala has set a new record in domestic tourist arrivals in 2023 with 2.18 crore tourist footfalls, a 15.92 per cent increase from the previous year, Minister for Tourism and Public Works P A Mohamed Riyas said on Monday. In 2022, Kerala witnessed 1,88,67,414 domestic tourist footfalls.
Significantly, domestic tourist arrivals recorded an increase of 18.97 per cent compared to 2019, the minister told a press conference here.
In 2023, Ernakulam district witnessed the highest influx of domestic tourists with 44,87,930 visitors, followed by Idukki (36,33,584), Thiruvananthapuram (35,89,932), Thrissur (24,78,573), and Wayanad (17,50,267).
The state also witnessed a healthy increase in international tourist arrivals with 6,49,057 visitors in 2023, as compared to 3,45,549 tourists in 2022, indicating a remarkable growth of 87.83 per cent.
Ernakulam district was visited by 2,79,904 tourists from abroad, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (1,48,462), Idukki (1,03,644), Alappuzha (31,403), and Kottayam (28,458).
Under both mild and severe scenarios, it is projected that by the end of 2024, South Asia will attract 25 million and 60 million visitors, respectively. On the other end, India’s attractiveness to tourists is expected to improve by 2026. Prof Haiyan Song, Research Head at PATA, and Dean of Hospitality and Tourism at Hong Kong Polytechnic University shares more insights.
“This is a testament to Kerala Tourism’s vigorous efforts based on well-crafted policy initiatives and meticulously implemented promotional strategies within and outside the country,” Riyas said. As for the number of visitors from abroad, the minister pointed out that despite a significant uptick, it was still 45.45 per cent lower when compared to international tourist arrivals before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though there has been a steady increase in the arrival of foreign tourists, which was adversely impacted by the pandemic, it will take some more time to reach the pre-pandemic level, he said.
“The conflicts in some parts of the world also affect international tourism. Despite these challenges, there has been good progress in foreign tourist footfalls in Kerala. Adventure tourism events planned for this year will help us regain much of the lost ground. We are also working on plans to attract more tourists to the Malabar region,” the minister added.
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Seeking to make Kerala a Soft Power hub, the state government will soon come out with upfront initiatives to promote it as a preferred venue for global conferences, Tourism and Public Works Minister, PA Mohamed Riyas announced recently.
“The beautiful locales including hill stations, beach and backwater destinations in various parts of the state make it the most ideal location for international meets. The soft power at our disposal, which is tourism, is the most potent component and it has to be harnessed in a sustainable manner,” he said.
Riyas was speaking after inaugurating the two-day annual conference of the Soft PowerClub, a global organisation headed by Francesco Rutelli, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, at Technopark. In the context of hosting the event by Kerala Tourism, Riyas said Kerala has immense opportunities in this segment considering the picturesque landscape, eclectic history and rich cultural heritage of the state.
According to him, over the centuries Kerala has leveraged soft power in its evolutions inclusive society and social and communal harmony of state reinforces its position as soft power hub. Commenting that sustainability and inclusiveness are the fundamentals of Kerala Tourism, he said the Responsible Tourism initiatives of the state have earned several global accolades.
G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, who made a presentation on India, said the country blends both its soft and hard powers to project itself and to ensure that the nation retains its very unique civilisational approach.
In his keynote address, Suman Billa, Principal Secretary, Industries &NORKA, said the softpower, which is universally endearing, has cultural and relationship aspects. Tourism Secretary Biju K, in his address, said tourism plays a vital part in state’s soft power elements and public diplomacy alongside destination branding.
The proposal to consider a low-interest loan scheme in collaboration with Kerala Financial Corporation to scale up tourism infrastructure, anticipating an investment of INR 5000 crores will expedite growth. The budget has also made allocations for improving standard of tourism facilities, marketing, culture and environment tourism, Responsible Tourism, subsidies and incentives, among others.
“Kerala’s promotion of eco-friendly tourism and its initiatives committed to environmental sustainability enhance its soft power. State’s progressive social development and humanitarian initiatives have garnered global acclaim and contributed to its soft power of social development,” Biju added.Introducing the Soft Power Club, Rutelli stressed the need for promoting the value of international cooperation on strategic issues in difficult times. He said building resilient stories of soft power involves inculcating resilient values, driving it through policy, recognising the role of social media as a soft power tool andbringingthesubject into public discourse.
Highlighting that soft power is a tool for reputation, international competitiveness and economic growth formations, Rutelli further informed that the Soft Power Club meet will discuss the persisting and potential role of trade in the changing international landscape. “India’s soft power is on a global level and fascinating as well. Kerala as a venue for this event would be a splendid opportunity to understand, promote and showcase the country’s positive assets,” he observed.
Additionally, around thirty members of the Soft Power Club, including high-level officials, heads of international organisations, analysts, and experts in the fields of business, science, art, digital technologies and climate, attended the two day conference.
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The state government has mooted, and is moving ahead with, a proposal for developing a tourism township in either Vagamon or Munnar that will be facilitated by the UAE government.
It is unclear at this point if there will be direct involvement of the UAE government or whether the UAE government is only a facilitator for participation by private companies. There are worries that a tourism township in Idukki district’s environmentally fragile areas could lead to further ecological devastation. The Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports explicitly discourage such tourism and construction initiatives in the Western Ghats and adjoining areas.
The tourism township proposal was initiated by the state government on November 9, 2023, following which a communication was sent by the tourism department to the revenue department on December 13. According to a communiqué by the principal secretary (revenue) to the land revenue commissioner (accessed by TOI), the government directed the land revenue commissioner to find suitable land in Vagamon or Munnar for the project.
A high-level meeting was convened by the chief secretary on December 18, in which senior officials of tourism and revenue departments participated. “A meeting will be convened presided over by the chief secretary on December 18 in his committee room, to discuss developing tourism township in the hill stations in the state under the aegis of the UAE government,” the communiqué sent by principal secretary (revenue) said. “A report has to be furnished to the government, at the earliest, after examining whether suitable land is available in Vagamon or in Munnar, in Idukki, suitable for the tourism township project proposed by the UAE government,” the communique added.
The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh said that infrastructure is being developed as per the modern-day requirements for the convenience of the visitors. He also informed that there were about 9,000 hotels in Himachal and considering the influx of tourists, the operation of homestays is also being regulated, to attract more tourists in the state.
Since the matter is yet to be placed by the government in the public domain, the UAE govt’s exact role is unclear. “The proposal was made when the UAE ambassador met the chief minister. When the government gets a proposal for a major investment, why deny it? The government is looking forward to an eco-friendly project since these two places that have been shortlisted are ecologically fragile areas,” a senior government official told TOI on condition of anonymity. In case of direct involvement of the UAE government, the Centre’s decision will be decisive as a sovereign government acquiring property in India can be routed only through diplomatic channels. In case, the project is a private initiative, parallels will be drawn to Kochi SmartCity which was presented initially by the then UDF government as an information technology initiative that later turned out to become a UAE-based private company’s integrated township in Kakkanad.
Real estate development of this magnitude in the name of tourism envisaged in Munnar and Vagamon goes against the recommendations of Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (Gadgil Committee) and the Kasturirangan Report. The government had recently framed detailed guidelines for constituting a Munnar Hill Area Authority with an aim to ensure sustainable development with uniformity, take appropriate decisions on encroachments and to protect the environmental uniqueness of the Munnar area. With regard to Vagamon, even basic land records are unavailable — these include basic tax register (BTR) and field measurement book (FMB) that will have concrete information on land holdings and exact extent and location of government land and porambokes in Vagamon village.
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Visit India to discover marvellous Taj Mahal in Agra along with explore the immaculate Harmandir Sahib located in Amritsar and see Mecca Masjid mosque in Hyderabad, there are incredible things to see and travel around this glamorous country.
Let’s know about popular destinations in India:
Agra
Taj Mahal is situated in the heart of Agra. This is one of the eminent monuments in the world, here you can see graveyard of Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal also comes one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
This beautiful monument was constructed in 1653 and built by the Mughal king Shah Jahan. The entire structure is designed from marble stone, it is one of the most enchanting and spectacular monuments in the world. This mahal took almost 22 years (1630-1652) to be done and designed by 20,000 workers, masons.
Jaipur / Udaipur
Jaipuris also known as a name of Pink City; it is the capital Rajasthan state in India Jaipur is a famous tourist and education place in India.
Tourists visit Jaipur to enjoy as well as travel around abundant forts and monuments in this place and that completely unveils a glorious and popular tourist destinations are here.
- Forts & Monuments
- Nahargarh Fort
- City Palace
- Jantar Mantar
- Jal Mahal
- Hawa Mahal
- Amber Fort
- Jaigarh Fort
- Rambagh Palace
- Chandra Mahal, The City Palace, Jaipur
- Diwan-e-Aam, City Palace
- Central Museum, (Albert Hall Museum)
Goa
Next, comes to a wonderful destination that is Goa and it is a glamorous place for the travellers and they can travel around exotic beaches. Also, you can explore Goa to enjoy the pleasing climate all year round. You can see numbers of travellers during summer times gather in Goa.
Goa has lavish lifestyle that every tourist and they enjoy and just have fun unlimited here.
Kashmir
However, Kashmir was beautifully named as Heaven on Earth, and this is the most stunning pl;laces in the world. This is a magnificent destination to Himalayan Ranges.
The Jammu & Kashmir has mainly three geographical regions known as “The Lesser Himalayas” or the “Jhelum Valley” (Kashmir), “The Inner Himalayas” or “The Indus Valley” (Ladakh & Frontier areas) also popularly known as “Trans-Himalayas”, and “The Outer-Himalayas” or “The Southern mountain range” (Jammu). You cannot miss out the beauty of Kashmir, truly worth visit.
Kanyakumari
When we talk about another Indian’s tourist place then Kanyakumari cannot be missed at all. Though, many tourist-sites in the city can be explored by the tourists and this place is renowned for its remarkable and elite sunrise and sunset. Wow, a complete reunion of three ocean waterways such as the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea make Kanykumari travel worth-visit every time.
Kerala (Backwaters)
Kerala is stunningly situated on the flourishing and a complete humid Malabar Coast and also comes in top list of travel destination in India. This beautiful destination is also recognized as a “ten paradises of the world” named by the National Geographic Traveller magazine, Kerala is particularly popular for its immaculate Backwaters and special healing massage packages.
Old Delhi
Delhi is undoubtedly a capital city of India and without a doubt people come from all over the world and explore the heritages and amazing tourist attractions in India. Travellers can see mosques, forts and extraordinary monuments that reveal India’s glory at every moment. The most popular as well as ancient city is Old Delhi and here visitors come to explore spectacular Red Fort. New Delhi contains a wide range of government buildings and embassies, however, the destinations have its own charms and glory. The Qutub Minar, Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb have are the top destination to visit in Delhi.
Ajanta Ellora
Ajantha & Ellora are completely engraved designed memorials and this monument was built during first century BC and 5th century AD. The place holds different and diverse ranges consist of paintings and this destination is also considered as one of the finest and popular masterworks of Buddhist devout art and worldwide graphic art by the professional artists.
These are the most beautiful tourist places in India are worth a visit.
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