Tourism Department to conduct survey

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Tourism Department is after the ‘real’ numbers. The Department is planning a unique survey to determine the number of ‘day visitors’ to various tourism destinations in the state. The survey would be conducted in selected tourist destinations, Tourism director Rani George said. The statistics on tourist arrivals in Kerala are incomplete as they do not include day visitors. At present, the Department pegs annual foreign and domestic tourist arrivals based on hotel occupancy. Day arrivals - in short, tourists who do not stay overnight - are not accounted for.“Now, foreign tourist arrivals are determined on the c-form registrations. Domestic tourist numbers also are based on information on hotel accommodations,” Rani George said. The survey will be based in selected destinations and will serve to give a clearer picture of tourist arrivals in the state, tourism officials feel.Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar had said recently that there was an 11 percent rise in the number of foreign tourists arriving in the state. The sector also recorded 9.15 percent increase in visits by domestic tourists. 7.15 lakh foreign tourists visited the state in 2011 compared to 6.59 lakh the previous year.Domestic tourist arrivals shot up from 85.95 lakh in 2010 to 93 lakh last year. Forex earnings from the sector also rose from Rs 3,797.37 crore to Rs 4,221 crore - an increase of 11.18 percent.