Domestic arrivals to Kerala rose 10.98% in the first quarter of 2026, outpacing the same period in 2025, according to data released by the tourism department. The increase adds to a record-setting year for visitor traffic.
Total tourism revenue for the year reached INR 50,702.34 crores, with INR 43,320.32 crores generated directly by Indian visitors and INR 7,382 crores earned from foreign exchange. This split shows the dominant role of home-grown travellers in sustaining the industry’s earnings.
The state logged 2,50,58,366 domestic visitors and 8,21,999 international guests in 2025.
Beyond the headline revenue, tourism now accounts for 12% of Kerala’s gross domestic product, positioning it as a core pillar of the state’s economic architecture.
Against this backdrop, the recent Network Kerala gathering, held at The Lalit New Delhi on 13 October 2026, provided a platform for senior officials to outline strategic priorities. Kerala Tourism’s Additional Director (General) and Managing Director of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, Sumit Kumar Thakur, IAS, placed destination diversification, wedding tourism, the Wayanad region and experiential products at the centre of his discourse. In interviews on the sidelines of the event, Thakur emphasized a sharpened focus on “Brand Wayanad” for the 2026-27 fiscal year, signalling a concerted effort to raise the hill district’s profile on the global stage.
To operationalise this ambition, the government intends to participate actively in international travel marts as an exhibitor, while also organising targeted B2B sessions in the coming months. These initiatives aim to showcase Wayanad’s unique blend of biodiversity, tribal heritage, agricultural practices and craft traditions, positioning it as an experience-driven tourism ecosystem. Roadshows and outreach programmes are being planned to tap into overseas visitor markets, with the explicit goal of converting interest into inbound travel bookings.