Tourism News

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

Kerala Most Happy State in India

Kerala has topped the Happiness Index in the State of the States Survey 2021 by the news magazine India Today. While Kerala emerged at the top of the big state category, Goa came first among small states.

The Happiness Index was calculated based on objective data on prosperity (per capita income, outstanding liabilities to population, CPI, unemployment rate) of a state, along with scores from state’s rankings in education, health governance, infrastructure, law and order, environment and cleanliness.

As per PRS India’s Kerala Budget Analysis 2020-21, Kerala’s economy is the ninth- largest in the country with a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of Rs 9.78 lakh crores in 2020-21. The state ranks fourth in terms of per capita GSDP (Rs 2.4 lakhs in 2021-22), the report said. The inflation rate and liabilities on the population have remained in single digit figures, reflecting an effective public distribution system and investment in infra development.

The state is popular among both domestic as well as foreign tourists. According to data shared by Agoda, an international digital travel platform, four states (in the order of ranking) - Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan - accounted for 50 per cent of the top 100 Indian destinations. Kerala has 12 destinations, including Kochi, Munnar, Alleppey and Kovalam, in the top 100 list. 

Meanwhile, for the fourth year in a row, Kerala has topped in the ranking of states on the basis of health indicators in the country. The ‘Health Index’ is part of a report commissioned by the NITI Aayog, World Bank and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.