Kerala still leans on domestic visitors (25 million-plus in 2025 vs. ~822,000 foreign arrivals, up more than 11% year on year) and wants longer, higher-spend international trips from the UK, Europe, the U.S., Australia, and newer East and Southeast Asian markets.

Tourism Minister P.C. Vishnunadh, speaking around Kochi’s Sept. 24–27 Kerala Travel Mart, frames the pitch as experience, community value, and sustainability—beaches, backwaters, Western Ghats, culture, food, Ayurveda—not just postcard marketing.

Four international airports (Cochin solar-powered since 2015) need more long-haul flights; India-wide, WTTC put foreign spending at about 14% of tourism spend in 2025, so Kerala’s test is converting mart interest into seats, nights, and jobs.

For centuries, the southwestern Indian state of Kerala has maintained commercial, cultural and social links with countries across the Arabian Sea and the wider Indian Ocean. Today, those connections are taking on a new dimension as Kerala seeks to attract more international visitors and establish itself as a globally recognized tourism destination.

The state, however, remains heavily dependent on domestic tourism. In 2025, Kerala recorded more than 25 million domestic arrivals, compared with about 822,000 foreign tourist visits. Yet foreign arrivals grew by more than 11 percent from the previous year, suggesting that international tourism is becoming an increasingly important part of the state’s plans.

Kerala’s tourism authorities are therefore actively seeking to diversify the state’s international visitor base, with the UK, Europe, the United States and Australia........

© Eurasia Review