More and more Malayalis are flying out of Kerala on vacation. Most of them fly to tourist destinations in Indian and abroad, while some are out only to enjoy a flight. They just board a flight connecting any of the airports in Kerala.
The trend explains the spurt in the number of air travellers in April and May.
The services from Kochi to Gulf and southeast Asian destinations are on the rise, and the boom is not only fuelled by workers and businessmen. About 30 percent of passengers flying to these destinations are leisure travellers, studies have shown. They are on vacation that lasts hardly 10 days.
Though no exclusive data is available on the passengers flying through the Cochin International Airport Limited, travel agents said that the sudden spike in traffic is attributable to tourists. Pilgrimages to Israel and other West Asian destinations are also on the rise.
About 5 lakh passengers have flown out of Kochi in the last two months, accounting for the highest rate all through the year.
Many travellers from Kerala prefer to fly to a domestic destination just for the sake of it. Most of them pick Delhi, Bengaluru or Hyderabad. Travel agencies have picked Agra, Delhi, Jaipur, Darjeeling, Kashmir, Kullu, Manali, Goa, Mysuru and Ladakh as the preferred destinations for air tourists from Kerala.
The number of domestic travellers from Kochi touched five lakh last month. The tourism sector benefits from the offers in the off season.
Kullu-Manali package for two nights, including a round trip has become affordable for the common man during the off-season. Still, many tourists prefer cheaper one-way flight offers. They travel in groups of family or friends and return on trains mostly.
The air travel craze is prevalent in Kerala. Flying between either Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi or Kozhikode offers anyone a cheaper option to fly without having to plan an elaborate holiday outside the state.
Many groups fly from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram, stay the night and return on a train. Tour operators offer them special packages starting at Rs 3,000. The cost would come down to Rs 1,500 if the travellers plan their own itinerary.
Even various residents’ associations, Kudumbasree units and cultural associations organise such trips for their members and their families. They can pick from any service within Kerala, including Indigo’s two flights from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram every day. Air India and Air India Express fly between Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.
Gulf boom of tourism
Air carriers have increased services to Gulf countries to cater to the higher demand to the sector. The traffic has even lured in new entrants to operate in the sector.
Dubai still seems to be the favoured destination for Malayalis. Travellers to this sector is mostly composed of young men and couples.
Another group that adds to the high traffic to West Asia is the pilgrimage groups, said sources in the travel industry. If specialised tour operators had limited pilgrimages to holy lands to two or three times a year, they have geared up to offer up to four such trips in a month. In the holiday season of April and May, pilgrimages tours are offered almost every week.
The flow to the southeast Asian countries has also boosted the air travel sector. The number of services from Kochi to these sectors has doubled in the last two years. An interesting shift in trend is the rise of families in the tourist profile.
Bangkok in Thailand tops the bucket list of an average Malayali traveller because of the relative cheapness as a foreign destination. Yet Singapore retains the top slot when it comes to the number of tourists from Kerala. Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is picking up too. Colombo in Sri Lanka is another favoured destination.
At least 4,015 services are offered to all these countries from Kochi per year, double the number from two years ago. As many as 365 airlines fly between Kochi and Bangkok per year. As many as 1,825 services fly to Singapore, 1,095 to Kuala Lumpur and 730 to Colombo.
Most of the passengers to Singapore are on the way to China and the United States. About 10 percent of them may be tourists. Almost half of the passengers to Colombo continue their journey to the Gulf destinations. About a quarter of the passengers may have leisure on their mind, tour operators said.
However, 70 to 80 percent of travellers to Kuala Lumpur are on vacation.
