Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Feb 2: As many as 7 crore tourists visited Dakshina Kannada (DK) in 2025, marking a significant boost to coastal tourism, with religious centres emerging as the biggest draw. Compared to the previous year, tourist arrivals have increased by 27 per cent. In 2024, the district had recorded 5.06 crore tourist visits.
According to data from January to December 2025, Kukke Subrahmanya topped the list among domestic tourist destinations, attracting 1.60 crore (1,60,12,150) visitors in a single year. With this, Kukke has once again strengthened its position not only as a major religious destination in the state but also as one of the country’s prominent pilgrimage centres.
Dharmasthala ranked second, with 1.07 crore (1,07,33,425) domestic tourists visiting the shrine. The temple’s popularity is attributed to its continuous annadana (free meals), well-developed infrastructure and systematic services provided to devotees.
Along with religious centres, beaches too witnessed a massive influx of tourists. Coastal beaches, in particular, saw a rise in visits by both domestic and foreign tourists. As per last year’s figures, Panambur beach recorded 46.41 lac visitors, Someshwar beach 43.38 lac, and Tannirbhavi beach 37.48 lac tourists. During weekends and festivals, these beaches have been witnessing huge crowds, giving a fresh impetus to tourism in the region.
The 2025 data indicates that Dakshina Kannada has become a favourite destination for domestic tourists due to its unique blend of religious faith, natural beauty and cultural richness. Officials opine that with greater focus on infrastructure development and global promotion, tourism in the district can move towards a new phase of growth in the coming years.
Despite the overall growth, the number of foreign tourists visiting the district has declined. While 10,778 foreign tourists visited Dakshina Kannada in 2024, the figure dropped to 6,115 in 2025, registering a decline of 43.3 per cent. The reduction is believed to be due to a lack of international-level promotion. Officials state that with proper branding, availability of foreign language guides, international-standard facilities and enhanced digital promotion, Dakshina Kannada has immense potential to emerge as a major foreign tourist destination.
In 2025, Moodbidri attracted the highest number of foreign tourists at 1,260, followed by Dharmasthala with 1,083 visitors, Pilikula with 967, Tannirbhavi with 790 and Panambur Beach with 733 foreign tourists. This trend highlights foreign tourists’ keen interest in Jain basadis, nature-based tourism and the region’s cultural heritage.
Kateel Durgaparameshwari Temple recorded 63.55 lac visitors, Pilikula Nisargadhama 27.96 lac, Bappanadu Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple 27.35 lac, Maroli Suryanarayana Temple 23.69 lac, Kodiyadka Temple 21.41 lac and Sasihithlu Beach 20.36 lac visitors.
Kukke Subrahmanya saw an increase from 1.09 crore visitors in 2024 to 1.60 crore in 2025, registering a growth of 46.4 per cent. Someshwar beach recorded 14.34 lac visitors in 2024 and 43.38 lac in 2025, marking a 20.2 per cent rise. Panambur beach witnessed a sharp jump from 24.86 lac in 2024 to 46.41 lac in 2025, an increase of 86.6 per cent. Pilikula Nisargadhama saw visitor numbers rise from 12.18 lac to 27.96 lac, while Sasihithlu beach recorded an increase from 6.62 lac to 20.36 lac, reflecting a 20.7 per cent growth.