KOCHI: Foreign tourists who arrived here in an international cruise-liner the other day enjoyed a hassle-free tour on Monday, when the Left Front called a hartal. The turnaround operation of German cruise-liner AIDAbella, which called at the Cochin Port on Sunday, went on smoothly as per schedule on Monday.
Earlier, there were apprehensions that the operation would be disrupted by the hartal.
“Nearly 1,200 passengers arrived at the Nedumbassery airport, and as many tourists were transported to the airport in time, from the ship. We are thankful to the State Government, Tourism Department, police and the CIAL authorities for their support,” said the official spokesperson of Lotus DMC, the tour conductor for AIDA Cruises that operates the vessel.
The tourists were transported in bus with police escort. In the meantime, passengers of the cruise-liner explored Kochi. Around 80 tourists walked the city streets, while others preferred cycling.