Is Kerala lagging behind other states in domestic and international tourist arrivals?
The answer seems to be yes, going by the Economic Survey 2019-20, tabled by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on Friday.
Kerala does not figure in the list of top five states that attracts domestic tourists.
According to the survey, Tamil Nadu is the most preferred destination for domestic tourists. Uttar Pradesh occupies second spot, followed by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Kerala is not the preferred destination for international tourists either.
International tourists prefer Tamil Nadu than any other Indian states. The other top visited states are Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan. These five states account for 67% of the international tourist arrivals, the survey stated.
Tourism showed signs of improvement after the floods and landslides that hit Kerala in 2018 and 2019, but the economic survey showed that Kerala needs to do more to emerge as the top destination in India.
Tourist arrivals - both domestic and international - registered 14.81 per cent growth in the second quarter of 2019 (April to June), compared to the corresponding period in 2018.