Kerala Attracted 8.5 Million Tourist Arrivals
Kerala is wedged between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats. Lying between north latitudes 8Ò°18" and 12Ò°48" and east longitudes 74Ò°52" and 72Ò°22", Kerala is well within the humid equatorial tropics. Keralaò€™s coast runs for some 580 while the state itself varies between 35 and 120 in width.Culture
Kerala"s culture is derived from both a greater Tamil-heritage region known as Tamilakam and southern coastal Karnataka. Later, Kerala"s culture was elaborated upon through centuries of contact with neighboring and overseas cultures. Native performing arts include koodiyattom 2000 year old Sanskrit theatre tradition, officially recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity and its offshoot Kerala natanam, koothu (akin to stand-up comedy), mohiniaattam ("dance of the enchantress"), thullal, padayani, and theyyam.
Tourism
Kerala attracted 8.5 million tourist arrivals, an increase of 23.68% over the previous year, making the state one of the fastest-growing destinations in the world. Until the early 1980s, Kerala was a relatively unknown destination most tourist circuits focused on North India. Aggressive marketing campaigns launched by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, the government agency that oversees tourism prospects of the state, laid the foundation for the growth of the tourism industry. In the decades that followed, Kerala"s tourism industry was able to transform the state into one of the niche holiday destinations in India.