Significant drop in arrivals of tourists to Kerala, surge in departure of locals to other destination

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has been one of the most popular tourist destinations for years. Except during the Covid-19 induced lockdown, tourists flocked in numbers to 'God's own country'. But things have turned upside down in the last three to four months.

Figures indicate that the arrival of foreign tourists to main tourist destinations in Kerala has decreased. But during this period, the number of Malayalis who travelled abroad has increased by over 20 percent. This is due to the intense heat in the state.

In the background of heatwave warning in Kerala, foreign tourists who had booked flight tickets to come to Kerala had cancelled their trip. Not only foreigners, but also the number of domestic tourists who arrive from other parts of the country during the summer vacation has decreased.

Apart from heavy summer, elections in various states also contributed to the decline in the number of domestic tourists. Even the Malayalis relied on high-range tourist destinations like Ooty as they couldn't bear the heat.

The travel of Malayalis from Kerala to European countries, Bali, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Bangkok has increased by 20 percent compared to last year.

Reports indicate that during the hot season, visits to water theme parks by Malayalis were more than usual.