Kochi (Malayalam: കൊച്ചി [koˈt͡ʃːi] ), formerly known as 'Cochin', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors travelling to Kerala and is amongst the most visited tourist destinations in India.[1]
As per Kerala's Tourism Department data, more than 23 million domestic tourists visited the city in 2017.[1] According to the department, aspects like MICE tourism, LuLu Mall, the Wonderla water theme park, and the metro nature of Kochi city were the main aspects for attracting more domestic tourists.[1]
The city is popularly known as the Queen of Arabian Sea[2][3][4] as it has the natural harbor on the Arabian Sea coast[5] and was the centre of the world spice trade for many centuries. Old Kochi (presently called West Kochi), loosely refers to a group of islands which comprise Willingdon Island, Fort Kochi, Mattancherry etc. The city derives its name from the Malayalam word Kochazhi meaning small lagoon.