A 11 per cent increase in foreign tourist arrivals and 9.15 per cent increase in domestic tourist arrivals to Kerala had been registered during the year 2011despite a host of negative factors.
Disclosing this at a press conference here on Thursday, Minister for Tourism, A. P. Anil Kumar said tentative figures show 7.5 lakh foreign tourists arrived in Kerala compared to 6.59 lakh in 2010. Compared to the 85.95 lakh domestic tourist arrivals in 2010, 93 lakh tourists from within the country arrived in Kerala during the January-December 2011.
The foreign exchange earnings from tourism had also gone up from Rs. 3797.37 crore in 2010 to Rs. 4221 crore registering a 11.18 per cent increase. The total revenue, both direct and indirect, from tourism touched Rs. 19,037 crore last year compared to Rs. 17,348 crore in 2010 showing an increase of 9.74 per cent.
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Despite the non-arrival of chartered flights to the State from the United Kingdom, Mr. Anil Kumar said the U. K tourists were in the forefront in the foreign tourist arrivals to the State in 2011. France, Germany, U. S and Australia are the other toppers in the list.
To a query, the Tourism Minister said the Gulf and the Middle East will get the focus of Kerala Tourism. Three road shows had been scheduled in April and steps will be taken to put up advertisements in Arabic also to attract the tourists to the State, he said.
Director of Kerala Tourism, Rani George said the department had worked out plans to come up with TV campaigns in the Gulf countries and to undertake outdoor display in Saudi Arabia to attract tourists.
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Replying to a query on the travel trade’s statement that the tourist season was dull and that Southern Tourism Circuit was affected, Mr. Anil Kumar said tourist arrivals were not affected in the State. Munnar and Thekkady were affected initially, but picked up later. Even backwater tourism was stable, he added.
On the just concluded Grand Kerala Shopping Festival Season Five, the Minister said it was a big success as 5,382 partner shops enrolled in the 45-day festival without any compulsion. A record 50 lakh coupons was sold to the shoppers. The dream of Kerala emerging as an international shopping destination is to materialise in two years, he said.