Alappuzha: Kochi city is the most preferred destination among foreign tourists visiting Kerala, while Munnar is the favourite among domestic travellers. This is according to the list of most-preferred tourist destinations released by the Tourism Department. The number of tourists visiting the state has witnessed an increase over the past 5 years.

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Kerala received 60,487 foreign tourists in 2021. The number rose to 8,21,999 in 2025. A majority of these tourists visited Kochi. After Kochi, foreign tourists preferred destinations such as Thekkady, Thiruvananthapuram, Munnar, Kumarakom, Kovalam, Alappuzha, Fort Kochi, Kozhikode, Maradu, Kuttanad, Varkala, Guruvayur, Chovara and Kollam.

The number of domestic tourists has also increased. Kerala received 75,37,617 domestic tourists in 2021, while the figure rose to 2,50,58,366 in 2025. A majority of them visited Munnar.

The Tourism Department has also released a list of the 15 destinations that attracted the highest number of domestic tourists. According to the list, after Munnar, the most visited destinations were Kochi city, Thiruvananthapuram city, Guruvayur, Kozhikode city, Thekkady, Varkala, Kovalam, Wayanad, Alappuzha, Pookode Lake-Vythiri, Kumarakom, Iringal-Kottakkal, Parassinikadavu and Vagamon.

Apart from developing infrastructure at tourist destinations, the government has also spent substantial amounts on promotion. A total of Rs 343.72 crore was spent on national and international tourism promotion over the past 5 years.

Department officials said promotional campaigns were carried out extensively through print media, social media, television and cinema. Airports were also major centres of tourism promotion.