Tourist penetration rate and index of tourism intensity in kerala
DR. SHIJI O
Assistant Professor, School of Distance Education, University of Calicut, Malappuram, Kerala. NA
Tourism occupies a vital role in the Kerala’s economy and it became the most important event with immense worldwide recognition. The impacts created by tourism upon the destinations are different. As a result it is important to measure the penetration rate and index of tourism intensity to measure the varying impact of tourism upon the destinations. While the growth of tourism intensity index indicates the increase in number of temporary visitors comparing to the size of local population, while the tourist penetration rate quantifies the average number of tourist per thousand inhabitants in a destination at any one point in time. This allows for the classification of districts according to the resulting index, and to calibrate their position in the set of tourist destinations. This can be very useful for the application of economic policies aimed at correcting externalities that are generated in the advanced development of mass tourism. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to determine the penetration rate and index of intensity of tourism from 1991 to 2018. The relevance of this paper stems from the fact that penetration and index of tourism intensity in Kerala are different among the districts.