Mumbai | Kerala Tourism organized a B2B meeting in Mumbai on last day to connect with stakeholders and facilitate their role in the growth of Kerala's tourism sector. This meeting was organized ahead of the upcoming vacation. From Ayurvedic healthcare brands to hotels, 50 brands including Kairali - The Ayurvedic Healing Village, Ramada by Wyndham Alleppey and Spiceland Holidays, participated in the conference. The function was inaugurated by Kerala Tourism Deputy Director (Planning) Ashwin P Kumar IAS.

Speaking to the media, he said, "the state aims to cross 14 lakh foreign visitors by 2026 and there has already been a record surge in the number of domestic tourists." Kerala attracted 50,37,307 domestic tourists in the first quarter (January-March) of this year, compared to 49,36,274 visitors in the same period last year. It recorded an increase of 2.05 percent.

He said tourism in Kerala, like many other major destinations, has declined since the Covid-19 pandemic. In the pre-Covid era, the state recorded the highest growth rate in domestic as well as total tourist arrivals in 2019 during the last 24 years, and its number was 1,95,74,004. The Deputy Director also said that among the total visitors, 89,771 arrived from abroad.