KOCHI: With a boom in outbound tourists from Kerala, tour operators are offering exotic and less travelled destinations to woo travellers. And a trip to Antarctica is just one of them.
“Travelling is an emerging trend among the Keralites. Now, people approach us asking for new packages. So, we decided to introduce a package to Antarctica,” Paulose K Mathew, proprietor of Coraz Travel said.
According to tour operators, they are finding takers for these expensive tour packages in Kerala.
Kochi-based Coraz Travel and Travel Links recently announced its 18 days tour package to Antarctica covering South American countries Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The itinerary includes Buenos Aires in Argentina, Ushuaia in Argentina, Cape Horn in Chile, Schollart Channel, Paradise Bay and Elephant Island in Antarctica, Port Stanley in Falkland Island, Puerto Madryn in Argentina, Montevideo in Uruguay is covered as part of the package. The 18-day long trip commences on January 31.
Tourists can spend 14 days on the cruise ship-Celebrity Eclipse while visiting various destination in South America and Antarctica. The price of the package starts at Rs 3.5 lakhs.
Similarly, tour operators also have started packages to Japan and North Europe. “As cruise tourism is becoming popular, some of the cruise operators are proposing long duration packages starting from Kochi port. The outbound tourism also helps in promoting Kerala tourism abroad,” a tourism official said.
Abraham George, National Tourism Advisory Board member said the change in lifestyle of Keralite can be a reason behind booming outbound tourism in the state.
“Earlier, people were mostly focused on savings. However, now travelling has gained popularity. People like to explore new places. The outbound tourism is growing at a rapid pace. Usually, the peak time of the outbound tourism is during the summer vacation period,” he said