Tourism dumps Covid scare; Mumbai cruise heads for Kerala with 1k travellers

Officials foresee revival of domestic tourism with the berthing of luxury cruise MV Empress

Thiruvananthapuram: The Covid-19 scare seems to be on the wane of late, at least for tourists putting together their itinerary for Kerala.  Post various measures towards creating a bio-bubble around the tourism industry by the state administration, and wide spread vaccination drives, the tourism segment in the state is now opening up for inbound travellers who are lining up by the hundreds.

The latest on that front is that upcountry visitors from Mumbai have boarded a luxury cruise from the port city. The cruise carrying more than 1000 people, will reach Kochi on September 22nd.

Luxury liner MV Empress, owned by Cordelia Cruises, will anchor at Cochin Port, Willingdon Island, at 5 am. Around 800 guests on the ship, hailing from various states, will disembark at Kochi to explore a slice of the rich culture and history of the port city, in an on-shore tour adhering to Covid-19 protocols, said Kerala Tourism officials.

On reaching Kochi, the travellers will be taken to Mattancherry and Fort Kochi, touching several points of historical importance for which the area is famed. A boat ride on the backwaters will unfold the mesmerising beauty of the ‘Queen of Arabian Sea’ before the visitors.

Cruise heralds full-scale resumption of tourism

According to Kerala’s Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas, “The arrival of domestic tourists marks a promising start to the full-scale resumption of Kerala Tourism, overcoming the pandemic-induced crisis. This trend is set to gain pace in the coming days. “

He added that Kerala is now a safe and secure place for the lock-down weary vacationers to come as we have put in place an efficient and meticulous bio-bubble model to create protective layers of inoculated service providers to receive and host tourists.

Adding to what the Minister believes, Dr Venu V, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, said the tourism sector in Kerala is fast reconfiguring itself from the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. All destinations across the state are getting ready to receive guests. He believes that Kerala’s tourism sector is set for a busy season ahead. From Kochi, the luxury cruise will leave for Kadamat, the Lakshadweep, in the afternoon.