KOCHI:
Giving out a strong message that Kerala Tourism is springing back into action after the recent floods, this season’s first chartered flight from Australia will arrive in Kochi on Saturday (Sept 15) with the Tourism Department all set to accord a warm and ceremonious welcome to the visitors.
The chartered flight, with 60 tourists on board, will head from Australia and will touch the Nedumbassery International Airport in Kochi at 6 pm. The international visitors will be welcomed at the airport through a reception that would include Panchavadyam and Kathakali Pacha Vesham.
P Bala Kiran, Director, Department of Tourism, said the arrival of the chartered flight consisting mostly tourists from Australia would send out a definitive message that the tourism sector in Kerala is all geared up to welcome the visitors. “It will also help remove the perception that the influx of tourists is dwindling in the state,” he added.
The passengers belong to a tourist group in Australia named ‘Captain Group’. The chartered flight has been arranged by Divine Voyages Pvt Ltd.
Kerala Tourism has been resiliently working towards promoting the state as an overall tourism destination, said Mrs. Rani George, Secretary, Department of Tourism. “At this point, Kerala Tourism needs a lot of backing up to tell the world that the tourism industry is still going strong. And the arrival of this season’s first chartered flight will certainly send out that message,” she noted.
On Sunday, a day after their arrival, the tourists will visit Fort Kochi and Mattanchery, the two prominent tourist destinations in Kochi. Then, 20 tourists will head to a private farm near Angamali for a cooking demo class showing Kerala cuisines. On Monday, the tourists will make a trip to Allapuzha to have a unique houseboat experience cruising in the backwaters.
They will departure on Tuesday to Goa and the group will also visit Udaipur, Jodhpur, Varanasi and Kolkata before going back.
