To welcome the new year, people all around the globe have started to decide their travel plans for 2023. To make it easier for them to choose the best destination, The New York Times has recommended 52 places that one can visit in 2023. And, Kerala, ‘God’s own country’, has been featured on the list.
The list has been prepared keeping four major questions in mind – Why we travel, highlighting food, culture, adventure, and natural beauty.
As per the report, Kerala is “a southern Indian state that is celebrated for its beaches, backwater lagoons, cuisine and rich cultural traditions like the Vaikathashtami festival”.
Kumarakom, a small village in Kerala, has also been mentioned in the list for its scenic backwaters.
Kerala has been listed at the 13th spot in the newspaper’s annual list of places to visit and is the only tourist destination listed from India.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took it to Twitter and said it was a recognition of the approach towards community tourism. “The @nytimes has selected Kerala as one of the 52 places to visit in 2023. Our exemplary approach to community tourism that allows travellers to relish Kerala’s rich culture and breathtaking landscapes have been lauded. Yet another exciting achievement for @KeralaTourism,” Vijayan tweeted.
London has managed to get the first spot on the list followed by Morioka in Japan. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park in the USA, Kilmartin Glen in Scotland, and Auckland in New Zealand, Palm Springs in California, Kangaroo Island in Australia, Vjosa River in Albania, Accra in Ghana, Tromso in Norway, Len is Maranhenses National Park in Brazil, Bhutan, Greenville in South Carolina and Tucson (Arizona) are also in the top list.
Last year, TIME magazine named Kerala in its list of ‘50 extraordinary destinations to explore.’