Steady Growth in European Tourists in the Year 2015

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

ISSUE: 269

JANUARY 2016

Steady Growth in European Tourists in the Year 2015

Tourist arrivals from Europe have registered a respectable increase till October 2015, despite Euro zone recovery losing steam this year.

A total of 4, 20,247 European travellers arrived in Kerala between January and October in 2015 compared to 4, 01,063 during the whole of last year. This was when many West European countries were struggling to protect their economies in the aftermath of the Greek debt crisis and the downturn in China. More tourists continued to arrive in Kerala last year even from countries like Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany, even though these countries registered a less than expected economic growth.

"Europe remains the number one traditional market for Kerala while we have been able to create strong markets in several countries abroad along with finding new ones. This is evident from the fact that more tourists from European countries have visited our State in 2015 compared to the previous year, inspite of their economies encountering hurdles," said Mr. A. P. Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala.

"The tourism industry in our State, which has been built over the last many decades by the strong commitment of the governments, the participation of the common people and the lasting will of the private sector, will strive harder to achieve higher growth," added the minister.

The marketing campaign by Kerala Tourism over the years to create a spread of strong markets while continuing to explore new markets has significantly helped Kerala to avoid over dependence on tourists from a particular country.

Even as traditional products like Ayurveda and the backwaters have remained popular among foreign tourists, especially those from Europe, new tourism products like the Village Life Experience has been attracting more and more visitors to the State. This year, the marketing campaigns by Kerala Tourism partnering domestic tourism and hospitality players in countries like Belgium, apart from UK and Germany will prove to be significant in boosting foreign tourist arrivals from Europe in the coming years.