Tourism does not have merely an economic significance inKerala.  It has wider social implicationstoo.  While planning for futuredevelopment, it will be worthwhile to consider the social aspects of tourism.  In Keralaholiday  packages have now broughtthe international tourist and also the domestic traveler to every nook andcorner of the state.

The twentieth century has witnessed rapid economicdevelopment in several countries, particularly in Europe and NorthAmerica.  Economic development isreflected in increasing wages and declining hours of work.  It is envisaged that within a short period oftime, particularly due to automation, the hours of work would be reduced atleast by 25 to 30 percent.

The remittances from abroad have mostly fuelled theeconomy in Kerala since the last 3 decades. A typical malayalee is a hard-working person outside his state and doesnot want to slog it out in his own home town. But even in such a situation, tourism is a sunrise industry in thestate.  This is due to the fact that thisstate is blessed by a salubrious climate that has little variation through thevarious seasons.

The advent of the Information Technology (IT) industryinto the state has led to significant changes. Never before has the state witnessed such changes in its socialstructure and that too within a short period of time.  The prominent IT firms offer significantincentives to their work force to unwind at the prominent tourist resortshitherto frequented only by the international tourist.

The outlook of the common man towards the traditionalcustoms and lifestyles has also changed. In earlier times, very few people actually saved money for aholiday.  But there is a significantincrease in the number of people saving money to spend it in various touristcenters during their holidays.  If thepresent trend continues, then even the remittances from the tourist seasonearned from the international tourist will be rather miniscule.  During the off season, the prominent resortsnow offer significant discounts to attract the domestic tourist.