Kerala's workation push

Background: workation is not new in Kerala

Kerala (now officially Keralam) has been inviting remote workers for a while. Kerala Tourism has said it has promoted the idea of workation for about four years, encouraging people to bring their laptops to resorts, homestays, hill stations and beach towns and work from there.

The idea fits the state well. It already has IT parks in Thiruvananthapuram (Technopark), Kochi (Infopark) and Kozhikode (Cyberpark), a startup ecosystem supported by Kerala Startup Mission, four international airports, and a tourism industry used to longer stays.

Over the years, the state's tourism promotion has highlighted different kinds of workation settings: city stays in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, beach towns such as Varkala and Kovalam, backwater areas around Alappuzha and Kumarakom, and hill stations such as Munnar and Wayanad. The pitch is simple: keep your job, change your view, and spend your free hours somewhere you would normally only visit on holiday.

Interest in remote work and digital tools is high across India. Gemini was Google's top trending search in India in 2025, a sign of how many people are now working with AI and online tools, and many of them can do that from anywhere with a good connection.

What the state said about a formal policy

In November 2025, Kerala Tourism said it would present a comprehensive workation policy draft by January 2026. The announcement followed a meeting that brought together:

• the state IT department
• Kerala Startup Mission
• hotel associations
• internet service providers
• IT parks

The stated aim was to make sure remote workers have what they need: high-speed internet, transport links and suitable amenities at the places they stay.

How it connects to the 2026 IT Policy

Separately, the Kerala IT Policy 2026, approved by the state cabinet in February 2026, includes goals that matter to anyone who wants to work remotely from the state:

• Internet: a target of 100 per cent internet access to all households through fibre.
• IT space: plans to triple IT space and expand IT parks to new locations with plug-and-play space.
• Jobs and startups: targets of 5 lakh new IT jobs and 20,000 startups.

These are targets, not finished work. Still, they show the direction of travel: more connectivity and more places to work outside the main cities. Read our full explainer on Keralam's 2026 IT Policy.

What this means for you right now

You do not need to wait for a policy to plan a workation in Kerala. Many stays, coworking spaces and cafés already cater to remote workers. What a formal policy may add over time is clearer standards, listed workation-ready properties, or support for better connectivity in tourist areas. Until details are published, treat any such benefit as unconfirmed.

In practice, plan as you would today:

• Check the connection yourself. Ask hosts for a recent speed test screenshot and whether the router has power backup.
• Carry a backup. A local SIM with a good data plan is cheap insurance.
• Choose your base by work style. Kochi for city infrastructure, Varkala for a beach routine, Munnar or Wayanad for quiet hill weeks.
• Mind the seasons. October to March is dry and popular. June to September is the monsoon, green and quieter. April and May are the hottest months.

Our guide to a workation in Kerala covers where to stay and what to pack, and our post on Varkala for remote workers goes deeper on one popular base.

Who it is for: Indians, NRIs and foreign visitors

Indian remote workers from other states can plan a workation in Kerala as easily as any domestic trip. Check with your employer about working from another location.

Non-resident Keralites, including people working in the Gulf, often combine a home visit with remote work. If you are thinking about a longer move back, NORKA Roots, the Kerala government agency for non-resident Keralites, runs returnee programmes; check their website for current schemes. Our guide to settling in Kerala after the Gulf covers the wider picture.

Foreign visitors should check visa rules carefully. Visa categories, permitted activities and tax residency depend on your nationality, your employer and the length of your stay. Confirm with the Indian embassy or official visa website in your country, and with a tax adviser if you plan a long stay. Do not assume a workation policy changes visa rules.

Time zones and working hours

India Standard Time is UTC+5:30. That is 1.5 hours ahead of the UAE and Oman, and 2.5 hours ahead of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, so Gulf hours fit easily. For UK, European and US employers, expect to shift your day later into the evening, which many remote workers prefer because it leaves mornings free.

A checklist before you book

Whatever the policy status, these checks will save you trouble on a workation in Kerala:

• Desk and chair: ask for a photo of the work area. A bed and a coffee table are not a workspace for a month.
• Quiet hours: ask about construction nearby, temple or event sound systems, and whether there is a quieter room.
• Video calls: ask whether other guests regularly take calls from the property, which is a good sign the connection holds.
• Transport: check how far the nearest town, pharmacy and ATM are, and how you will get there in the rain.
• Monthly rates: many hosts offer a better rate for a long stay if you ask directly.
• Flexibility: book a short first stay with the option to extend, so you can leave if the setup does not work.

What to watch for next

If and when the workation policy is published, these are the questions worth checking:

• Does it list or certify workation-ready stays, and on what criteria?
• Does it include internet standards for tourist destinations?
• Are there packages or incentives for companies sending teams?
• Does it say anything about coworking access in IT parks or new plug-and-play spaces?

It is also worth watching how the IT Policy goals for new IT locations and household fibre are rolled out, since better connectivity outside the cities would make smaller towns and villages more practical for remote work.

We will update our guides when there is confirmed news. In the meantime, see what we have collected on working from Keralam.