KOCHI: Owing to the low inflow of tourists during the last months, the tourism sector in the state has recorded a fall of over eight percent in growth rate in 2011 compared to 2010, it is estimated.When the sector recorded 18 percent growth in 2010, it dipped to 10 percent in 2011.According to S Vinayachandran, a research wing official of the Tourism Department, though the global recession did create some ripples in the sector, good performance till August 2011 will compensate for the major dip in the number of tourist arrivals. “We estimate that the growth rate of tourism sector in 2011 is around 10 pc. Around 7,50,00 people reached the state in 2011. In 2010, the same was 6,59,265 and in 2009, 55,7258 visited different tourist spots. According to T N Jayashankar, DTPC secretary, global recession and the introduction of tourist packages to countries like Indonesia and Sri Lanka were the major reasons for the fall in the growth rate. “The global recession has had an adverse affect on the tourism sector this year. This affected the inflow of foreign tourists but the growth rate of domestic tourist flow had been stable. Besides, cheaper tour packages provided by agents to Indonesia and Sri Lanka found more takers among foreign tourists. We have been discussing the issue to find a solution to the crisis,” Jayashankar said. The Tourism Department finds Ernakulam to be the most-visited city in the state in 2011. In 2010, 2,77,675 people visited Ernakulam followed by Thiruvananthapuram with 2,04,049. In 2011 the tourist arrival would be around 3,40,000 in Ernakulam and 2,50,000 in Thiruvananthapuram.
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