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Arab tourists are set to play a decisive role in the future growth of Kerala’s tourism sector, particularly in Ayurveda, medical tourism, luxury travel and the souvenir trade, Tourism Minister P.C. Vishnunath has said.
The State government has prioritised new marketing strategies centred on Ayurveda and monsoon tourism. What was once considered Kerala’s off-season — from June to September — has been transformed into a period of rising foreign tourist arrivals, largely due to the sustained efforts of Arab tour operators, he said.
Kerala welcomed more than one lakh Arab tourists in 2025, and the current season, which began in late June, has already received a strong response. Oman is now the third-largest source market for foreign tourists to Kerala, and tourism experts predict it could soon overtake the US and the UK, which have occupied the top two positions for nearly three decades. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have also secured places among Kerala’s top ten source markets.
Highlighting the economic significance of this segment, the Minister said Arab tourists are among the world’s highest-spending travellers, spending an average of $3,000 per day on accommodation, food and shopping, compared with $550 to $700 spent by traditional European tourists. The higher spending pattern is expected to provide a significant boost to Kerala’s tourism economy.
The Minister was speaking to reporters ahead of Indo Arab Connect 2026, a tourism summit jointly organised by the Association of Arab Tour Operators (AATO), the Indo-Arab Tourism & Hospitality Alliance, and Tourism India, in collaboration with Kerala Tourism, the Ministry of Tourism (Government of India), Cochin International Airport Limited, and several tourism industry bodies.
Around 200 tour operators from Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq will take part in the Indo-Arab Tourism Trade Summit on August 31, followed by a Tourism Business Meeting on September 1, and a week-long tour of Kerala’s tourism circuits beginning September 2.
The Minister said that the peak travel season for Gulf countries - Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE - as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iran, all among Kerala’s top ten source markets, falls precisely during the state’s traditional off-season of June to September.
Rashid Kakkat, President, Association of Arab Tour Operators, said a rise in Arab arrivals - among the world’s top spenders on accommodation, food and shopping - would give a significant boost to Kerala’s economy. Despite ongoing tensions in the Middle East, he said, Arab tourists continue to show strong interest in Kerala, with the season that began in late June already recording high growth.
Published on July 23, 2026
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