Tourism in North Kerala – Kannur Airport

The projected tourist arrival in North Kerala is expected to grow by 135% in 2023 since its launch, according to a research report. The key reasons can be attributed to two international Kerala airports (Kannur Airport and Kozhikode Airport) and a lot of unexploited beauty to be explored in the region. To help you with the exploration of Kannur Tourism, Tyndis Tours is always at your service with the best Kannur Tours.

In December 2019, Kannur Airport celebrated its one year of commercial operations. Beautiful mural paintings of traditional dance forms like Theyyam, Kathakali and Yakshagana enrich the walls of Kannur International Airport, depicting the rich heritage and cultural tradition of Malabar, especially Kannur. There is a lot to experience for tourists with Kannur Tours.

Does Kerala need a Fourth Airport?

There were already three Kerala airports in operation. Why was there a need for the 4th Kerala airport? Is Kannur International Airport really necessary? Wil the excess of Kerala airports bring good or bad to the state? To answer these questions, first, let’s analyse a few data about Kerala.

According to the previous state census, Mundiyoor panchayat in Malappuram district has the most number of non-resident Kerala families while Madayi panchayat in Kannur accounts for the most number of non-resident Keralites. 50% of Kerala’s emigrants’ population emanates from Kasargod, Kozhikode, Kannur, Wayanad and Malappuram. Almost all of them work in the Middle East with a growing base of traffic transiting to South-East Asian countries. This answers the economic feasibility of Kannur International Airport.

With the long-standing demand for the Kannur airport fulfilled, it has become very convenient for these NRIs visiting their home town in Kannur, Kasaragod, Wayanad, and southern parts of Karnataka such as Mysore & Mangalore as connectivity to Middle Eastern cities like Muscat, Doha, Dubai, Riyadh, Sharjah, Kuwait and Bahrain is excellent. Kannur Airport- the fourth of Kerala airports also have flight connections to major Indian cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai, Goa, Calicut, Trivandrum and Hubli.

Another interesting phenomenon that is observed is, even though there is an airport at Mangalore, many people residing there prefers to travel 150 km to Kannur, to fly to Gulf countries as they find the timing convenient, airfares cheaper and the frequency of flights to the Middle East is better.

Due to the current restriction of wide-body aircraft, Kannur Airport attracts secondary traffic catchment from Calicut airport too.

Kannur Airport: Impact on Kannur Tourism

As Kannur is on the global aviation map, it is poised to emerge as the new tourist gateway to the Malabar region. Kannur airport is strategically located to capture tourist traffic of neighbouring state too. Exponential growth in tourist traffic is expected going forward for Kannur Tours and for the catchment region around such as Wayanad, Kasaragod, Thalassery, Kozhikode, Coorg and Mangalore in Karnataka.

This region has a beautiful coastline with virgin beaches, clean waterfronts, serene backwaters and lush forests to attract domestic and international tourists. With the arrival of Kannur Airport, there has been a significant boom for Kannur Tourism.

Besides, the district may receive business travellers, as well as Kannur, has industries related to textile, spices, perishables and handicrafts. With the high Muslim population in these places, there is good potential for attracting many Hajj and Umrah passenger traffic. Kannur Airport is a good arrival and departure hub for such travellers.

Presently, Kannur Tours accounts for 4% of Kerala’s total tourist traffic. As per preliminary estimates, the total passenger traffic is expected to cross 5 million and 10 million passengers in the next 5 years and 10 years respectively. To drive a higher share of footfalls for Kannur Tours, multiple tourist development initiatives are being rolled out by Kannur Tourism administration with the Kerala Tourism department.

Currently, 105 domestic flights and 57 international flights depart during each week from Kannur Airport. In the years to come, Kannur Airport plans to facilitate better connectivity to more cities.

Tyndis Kannur Tourism Package: Book your Kannur Tours

Tyndis Tours is an experiential travel company based in Kannur, Kerala. We operate in a community-based sustainable tourism model to showcase local experiences, heritage, culture, food and adventures in all our Kannur Tours.

To enrich your holiday experience, we have 45 plus storytellers in various tourist destinations in Kerala. We began our journey in 2018, and steadily extending our footprints to other parts of South India. Pick the package for Kannur Tours to suit your interest, fill in the enquiry form and we will get back to you.