Economic Impact of Tourism in Kerala, India

Abstract

Kerala is one of the prominent tourist destinations of India with backwaters, hill stations, beaches, Ayurvedic tourism and tropical greenery. National Geographic's Traveller magazine listed Kerala in the 'Ten Paradises of the World' and '50 must visit places of a lifetime'. Tourism is one of the few sectors where Kerala has clear competitive advantages as Kerala is considered as nature magic ranging from the Western Ghats covered with dense forests to the backwaters to the Arabian Sea. Its ancient rich culture including traditional dance forms and the strong presence of alternative systems of medicine add to its allure. Sustainable tourism is the mission. This can be achieved by integrating tourism with other parts of the economy like medical and health hubs which will attract more stable tourists over a longer period of time and with higher spending capacity. Infrastructure development is crucial to achieve this goal. This paper is an over view on the economic impact of tourism in Kerala. The findings of the paper revealed that the economic impact of tourism in Kerala is very significant.