Speaking at the inaugural address of
India Today Conclave South 2023, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spoke
about how his government is planning to attract tourists -- both domestic and
international -- back to the state in a post-Covid scenario. He said the state has attained pre-Covid levels in
terms of domestic tourists. Vijayan said the tourism sector generated a
total of Rs 45,000 crore in 2019. He also stated that tourism "is surely
on its way back".
"Kerala
Tourism has secured pride of place on the international tourism circuit. We have been featured in the New York
Times as one of the best tourist spots in the world. Prior to Covid, we had
record numbers of domestic and international visitors to Kerala," he said.
"Innovations like caravan tourism, heritage tourism and destination wedding tourism are being spearheaded. Many people are coming for (destination) weddings here," he remarked. "Right now, we are at pre-Covid levels in terms of the number of domestic tourists. Kerala's tourism is surely on its way back," the chief minister said.