Kerala sees rise in tourists from Gulf
dubai — Tourist flows from the GCC to Kerala have been on an upswing with holiday-makers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman driving the growth over the past few years.
Known as ‘God’s own Country,’ the south Indian state has been witnessing a consistent surge in overall domestic and foreign tourist traffic. The state’s popular attractions include scenic backwaters, hill stations, and Ayurveda.
Saudi Arabia sent 48,346 tourists to Kerala in 2014, as compared to 43,744 a year earlier, while the figures for the UAE stood at 18,264 and 16,981 respectively. Oman sent 17,924 tourists to the southern Indian state in 2014, as compared to 16,906 in the preceding year, according to Kerala Tourism.
Overall, Kerala’s domestic tourist arrivals stood at 12.47 million in 2015, as compared to 11.7 million in 2014 and 10.86 million in 2013. In foreign tourist traffic, the figures were 977,479 in 2015; 923,366 in 2014; and 858,143 in 2013.
“The growth in tourist numbers is an outcome of Kerala Tourism’s promotional efforts in the Middle East. This region continues to be an important market for us and we will come up with newer products and attractive packages for tourists from the region,” said G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, principal secretary, Kerala Tourism.
Rao, who is taking part in the Arabian Travel Market with his team from Kerala Tourism, said the south Indian state’s geographic proximity with the UAE gives it an advantage of four hours’ flight time, making it easily accessible to the tourists from the emirates. “For the Middle East, Kerala has been marketing its unique selling points like backwaters, hill stations, and Ayurveda. Also, the air connectivity from Kerala to the Middle East region is good, with several carriers operating direct flights,” he said.
The India Pavilion at the show drew increased participation compared to previous years, according to E. M. Najeeb, group chairman & managing director of The Great India Tour Company (GITC) and Airtravel Enterprises (ATE). Both companies have been participating at the ATM every year for 23 years. This year’s theme is ‘Wellness and Medical Tourism.’
Najeeb, who is the president of Kerala Medical Value Travel Society and president of Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry, said Kerala’s medical tourism sector has big growth potential and is poised to see a big inflow from the Gulf.
A large number of entities from Kerala’s hospitality sector have been participating in the Arabian Travel Market as part of the India Pavilion. These include Inter sight Tours and Travel, Lake Palace Resort, Raxa Collective, Bekal Resorts Development Corporation, Punnamada Resort, Kumarakom Lake Resort, Raviz Hotels and Resorts and Carnoustie Ayurveda Wellness Resort.