KOCHI: The arrival of first cruise liner — Italian flagged AIDAvita — marked the beginning of the cruise season in Kerala on Tuesday. The ship with 1,181 tourists and 406 crew members on board was docked at BTP berth, Kochi Port, around 8 am. The luxury liner began its journey from Dubai to Singapore on October 30.Before reaching Kochi, it was docked at Muscat, Goa and Mangaluru.
It left for Male in the evening before sailing to Colombo, Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur to reach Singapore on November 16. The District Tourism Promotion Council had arranged cultural events and facilities to welcome the tourists at Samudrika convention centre near the jetty.
After completing the immigration procedures, vehicles were arranged for transporting them to various tourist destinations in and around Kochi. According to DTPC officials, while most of the tourists visited Kumbalangi and Alappuzha, some of them preferred to tour Kochi city. It was around 8 pm the vessel left for Male.