Kerala breaks tourism records in 2025 with 25.88 million visitors; Ernakulam tops in foreign tourist arrivals

Kozhikode: Kerala registered a record surge in tourist arrivals in 2025, with 25,880,365 visitors marking the highest-ever footfall in the State's tourism history, Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas said on Friday. The figures surpass the 2024 total of 22,985,363, reflecting an increase of 2,895,002 visitors within a year.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the minister said that Kerala has entered a phase of consistently breaking tourism records.

Domestic tourism recorded a significant jump in 2025, with 25,058,366 domestic visitors compared to 22,246,989 in 2024- an increase of 12.46 per cent. The figures are also 36.3 per cent higher than pre-COVID levels, he said.

Among districts, Idukki recorded the highest number of domestic tourist arrivals (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).

Major contributing states in domestic arrivals include Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Foreign tourist arrivals also showed steady recovery, the Minister informed. In 2025, Kerala welcomed 821,999 foreign tourists- an 11.3 per cent increase compared to the previous year. However, Riyas noted that ongoing global conflicts have slowed the pace of recovery to pre-COVID levels, according to the data presented by the minister. 

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 tops in foreign tourist arrivals, followed by Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Alappuzha, and Kottayam.

The minister attributed the growth to well-planned initiatives undertaken by Kerala Tourism. "Renovation of government rest houses, expansion of accommodation facilities- including five-star hotels- especially in northern districts such as Kasaragod, and improved road infrastructure have significantly contributed to the growth," he said.

Districts that previously recorded lower tourist footfall, including Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Thrissur, have now witnessed notable increases, providing a strong boost to tourism in the Malabar region, he said.