Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 25 (UNI) Kerala made a record-setting 196 per cent surge in domestic tourist arrivals in the first three quarters of the current year as compared to the corresponding period a year ago, reflecting a spectacular comeback from the pandemic-triggered downturn, Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas said on Friday.
Sending clear signals that Kerala’s crucial travel and hospitality sector is poised to surpass pre-pandemic levels, the state received a total of 1,33,80,000 domestic tourists in nine months till this September, notching a 1.49 per cent increase as compared to the same period before COVID-19 struck the world, the Minister told a press conference here.
What is more, this impressive performance shows a 196 per cent jump against the corresponding period last year, reflecting the success of the efforts made by the state including the marketing campaigns it mounted in India and abroad, Riyas said.