The district saw a huge increase in the inflow of tourists in 2018 compared with the previous year.
According to official figures, over 72,000 more tourists, mostly domestic tourists, visited tourism destinations in the district in 2018 than the total number in 2017. The opening of the Kannur International Airport is expected to further accelerate the growth of the tourism sector in the district. Though there was a slight decrease in the number of foreign tourists after the August floods, the last year saw overall growth in the tourism sector here.
The figures showed that in 2017, the tourism destinations in the district were visited by 6,26,060 domestic and 3,746 foreign tourists. In 2018, the numbers rose to 6,97,390 and 4,533.
Tourist inflow
The inflow of domestic tourists was at its highest in April-May, during summer vacation. During this period over 1.6 lakh domestic tourists reached the district. In the first two months of 2017, 1,163 foreign tourists had visited the district, but during the corresponding period last year, the number was 2,146.
The increase in tourists is due to the renovation of tourism destinations and enhancement of tourism facilities as part of initiatives to tap the tourism potential created by the new airport here. The Tourism Department has set up facilities on the Payyambalam beach here for the tourists. The facilities include beach gym, bamboo café, etc. A major tourism spot that attracts tourists here is Palakkayamthattu, which is termed as the Ooty of Malabar. The facilities provided there include those who like adventure tourism.