CHENNAI: Tour and Travel agencies from across Tamil Nadu urged the union government to improve flight connectivity from Chennai to domestic and international tourist destinations for the convenience of travellers.
The agencies stated that tourists from the state who visit even nearby tourist destinations like Goa have to take flights from Bengaluru or other cities or have to travel by road as the frequency of flights and choice of airlines are limited. There are just two direct flights to Goa from Chennai.
Moreover, there are no direct flights from Chennai to Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia, Australia, Cambodia, and even the USA, they said. The agencies also said that tourists who have to visit Kashmir have to take a connecting flight to Delhi and then go to Srinagar.
Similarly, for travelling to Japan have to take a connecting flight via Colombo and one has to take a connecting flight to Delhi, Mumbai or other countries like Dubai to go to the USA. Managing Director of Arunlekha Travels M Anandaveloo said that direct flights from Chennai to other places will be helpful for travellers and would promote tourism.
Anantha Krishna Gupta, Managing Director of Travel Air Madras Private Ltd, said that Bengaluru has better connectivity to Goa and other places than Chennai. “Recently, direct flight was introduced to San Francisco from Bengaluru. Due to the direct flights, tourists will come to the country, which will boost the economy. So, the airlines and the government should consider operating more direct flights,” Gupta said.
Mehul Joshi, director of Trips and Trade, said that Vietnam is becoming a popular destination for many tourists from Chennai due to its beauty and nightlife, among others. He urged the government and airlines to consider introducing direct flights to Vietnam. The agencies further stated that flight connectivity to other countries will also help in boosting the tourism of the state.