Madikeri: Tourist arrivals at Kodagu district’s notified tourist destinations fell in 2025, reversing expectations that the total would cross 50 lakh. Tourism department records show 43,62,332 visitors, including foreign tourists, visited Kodagu district in 2025, down by 2.10 lakh from 2024’s 45,72,790.The yearly total for 2025 was also slightly lower than 2023’s 43,69,507. These figures cover only visitors recorded at tourist spots and do not include people who stayed in resorts and hotels without visiting ticketed or recorded destinations, officials stated.Dec, typically the peak month due to year-end holidays and New Year travel, saw a sharp drop. In Dec 2024, 8,01,269 tourists visited destinations, while last Dec recorded 5,52,072, a decline of 2.49 lakh. In 2023 Dec, saw 5,82,906 visitors, making Dec 2024 the highest in the last 3 years.Raja Seat in Madikeri remained the most visited attraction in 2025 with 7,63,494 visitors, but it also declined by 2.27 lakh compared to 2024. Nisargadham (Kushalnagar) ranked second and showed a marginal increase, rising from 5,98,605 in 2024 to 6,06,886 in 2025. Other 2025 attraction-wise counts include Dubare (4,17,076), Harangi (3,34,921), Abbey Falls (2,81,698), General Thimmaiah Museum at Madikeri (51,239), and Mandalpatti (41,697).Stakeholders cited constraints affecting tourism growth, including inadequate basic amenities at destinations and restrictions imposed by the district administration and police around New Year celebrations. The Kodagu District Hotel-Resort Association president, Kundyolanda Dinesh Cariappa, argued that tighter controls on year-end festivities reduced party-oriented travel and suggested relaxing rules at least for one day at the year-end.
