Kerala saw a record surge in tourist arrivals in 2025, welcoming 25,880,365 visitors, marking the highest-ever footfall in the state’s tourism history, Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas said on Friday. This figure exceeds the 2024 total of 22,985,363, reflecting an increase of nearly 2.9 million visitors in a single year.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the minister said Kerala has entered a phase of consistently setting new tourism records. Domestic tourism accounted for the bulk of growth, with 25,058,366 domestic visitors in 2025 compared to 22,246,989 in 2024—a 12.46 percent rise and 36.3 percent higher than pre-COVID levels.
Among districts, Idukki recorded the highest number of domestic arrivals at 4,679,800, followed by Ernakulam (4,429,899), Thiruvananthapuram (4,375,846), Thrissur (3,124,696), Wayanad (1,473,710), and Kozhikode (1,469,253). Key contributing states included Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Foreign tourist arrivals also showed steady recovery, with 821,999 visitors in 2025—an 11.3 percent increase over the previous year. However, Riyas noted that ongoing global conflicts have slowed the return to pre-COVID levels. The majority of foreign visitors came from the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the Maldives. Ernakulam led in foreign arrivals, followed by Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Alappuzha, and Kottayam.
The minister credited the growth to targeted initiatives by Kerala Tourism, including the renovation of government rest houses, expansion of accommodation options—particularly five-star hotels in northern districts like Kasaragod—and improved road infrastructure. Previously lower-footfall districts such as Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Thrissur have seen significant increases, boosting tourism in the Malabar region.
