Kasaragod district has become the favoured destination for foreign tourists visiting Kerala for the second consecutive year.
According to reports published in March by the Department of Tourism, Kerala, the district has seen a huge increase in the arrival of foreign tourists in 2019, compared with the previous years.
The remarkable growth in foreign tourist arrivals was achieved despite issues like the Nipah virus outbreak and floods that severely affected the State. This was made possible with the establishment and efforts of the Bekal Resort Development Corporation (BRDC) and the promotional activities carried out by the District Tourist Promotion Council.
The district was visited by 7,269 foreign tourists in 2019, up from 4,122 in 2018. The district had seen a sudden increase in foreign tourist arrivals since 2011. However, their number dropped from 2,040 in 2011 to just 1,115 in 2017. But, with initiatives such as SMILE (Small and Medium Industries Leveraging Experiential Tourism), homestays, the introduction of houseboats and other activities captained by former BRDC managing director T.K. Manzoor, tourism in the district flourished and it was able to attract a large number of foreigners to the district. The boost in tourism also provided more job opportunities to the local population.
