Kerala  is a state on the south western Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam -speaking regions. Spread over 38,863 km² (15,005 sq mi), Kerala is the twenty-third largest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Kerala is the thirteenth-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state.

The economy of Kerala is the 11th-largest state economy in India with ₹8.76 trillion (US$130 billion) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹199,000 (US$2,900).^[2][3] Kerala has the lowest positive population growth rate in India, 3.44%; the highest Human Development Index (HDI), 0.712 in 2015 (0.784 in 2018); the highest literacy rate, 93.91% in the 2011 census; the highest life expectancy, 77 years; and the highest sex ratio, 1,084 women per 1,000 men. The state has witnessed significant emigration, especially to the Arab states of the Persian Gulf during the Gulf Boom of the 1970s and early 1980s, and its economy depends significantly on remittances from a large Malayali expatriate community. Hinduism is practised by more than half of the population, followed by Islam and Christianity. The culture is a synthesis of Aryan, Dravidian, Arab, and European cultures,^[13] developed over millennia, under influences from other parts of India and abroad.

TOURISM IN KERELA :

Kerala’s culture and traditions, coupled with its varied demographics, have made the state one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. In 2012, National Geographic‘s Traveller magazine named Kerala as one of the “ten paradises of the world”^[495][496] and “50 must see destinations of a lifetime”.^[497] Travel and Leisure also described Kerala as “One of the 100 great trips for the 21st century”.^[495][498] In 2012, it overtook the Taj Mahal to be the number one travel destination in Google’s search trends for India.^[499] CNN Travel listed Kerala amongst its ’19 best places to visit in 2019′.^[500]

Kerala’s beaches, backwaters, lakes, mountain ranges, waterfalls, ancient ports, palaces, religious institutions^[501] and wildlife sanctuaries are major attractions for both domestic and international tourists.^[502] The city of Kochi ranks first in the total number of international and domestic tourists in Kerala.^[503][504] Until the early 1980s, Kerala was a relatively unknown destination compared to other states in the country.^[505] In 1986 the government of Kerala declared tourism an important industry and it was the first state in India to do so.^[506] Marketing campaigns launched by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, the government agency that oversees the tourism prospects of the state, resulted in the growth of the tourism industry.^[507] Many advertisements branded Kerala with the tagline Kerala, God’s Own Country.^[507] Kerala tourism is a global brand and regarded as one of the destinations with highest recall.^[507] In 2006, Kerala attracted 8.5 million tourists, an increase of 23.68% over the previous year, making the state one of the fastest-growing popular destinations in the world.^[508] In 2011, tourist inflow to Kerala crossed the 10-million mark.

Ayurvedic tourism has become very popular since the 1990s, and private agencies have played a notable role in tandem with the initiatives of the Tourism Department.^[505] Kerala is known for its ecotourism initiatives which include mountaineering, trekking and bird-watching programmes in the Western Ghats as the major activities.^[510] The state’s tourism industry is a major contributor to the state’s economy, growing at the rate of 13.31%.^[511] The revenue from tourism increased five-fold between 2001 and 2011 and crossed the ₹ 190 billion mark in 2011. According to the Economic Times^[512] Kerala netted a record revenue of INR 36,528.01 crore from the tourism sector in 2018, clocking an increase of Rs 2,874.33 crore from the previous year. Over 16.7 million tourists visited Kerala in 2018 as against 15.76 million the previous year, recording an increase of 5.93 per cent. The industry provides employment to approximately 1.2 million people.^[509]