By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : The new tourism season in Kerala got off to a start late last week with the arrival of two chartered flights from Britain, carrying more than 500 British tourists.
This was in keeping with the pattern where the season starts with the arrival of charter flights around end October. Overseas tourist arrivals peak till mid-Jan and taper off by end Feb.
This season there is some reason for cheer as the first charter flight from Sweden is arriving Monday here. The last time a chartered flight from Sweden arrived was 11 years ago.
Speaking to IANS, Jose Dominic of CGH Earth, a leading player in the industry, however, said that the beginning appears to be quiet this year.
“From our bookings it is clear that the season will peak in December and January. Some years there is a lull at start. One reason is the fever that struck Kerala early this year. The arrival momentum takes time to build. We are sure this year too would be one to cheer for Kerala tourism,” said Dominic.
“We have taken adequate care and all village councils have been alerted so that they keep surroundings neat and clean,” said Cheriyan Phillip, chief of state-owned Kerala Tourism Development Corp.
The visit of President Prathiba Patil to Kovalam last week was a blessing in disguise as a massive clean-up operation at the well-known beach was undertaken at that time.
Over the years, Kerala has become more a market for individuals and small groups, unlike places like Goa, where the tourist influx is generally in big groups.
Babu John of Kerala Adventures, a tour company, said this year they are handling more foreign groups of sizes ranging between 10 and 40.
“The first batch of around 15 tourists is reaching tomorrow,” said John to IANS.