KOCHI: In what comes as a ray of hope for the revival of Kerala’s pandemic-hit tourism sector, a luxury cruise from Mumbai with 1,200 travellers on board is reaching Kochi on Wednesday. The luxury liner MV Empress, owned by Cordelia Cruises, will anchor at Cochin Port, Willingdon Island, at 5am.
Around 800 guests on the ship, hailing from various states, will disembark in Kochi to explore a slice of the rich culture and history of the port city, in an on-shore tour adhering to Covid protocols. The tourists will be taken to Mattancherry and Fort Kochi, touching several points of historical importance for which the area is famed. A boat ride on the backwaters will unfold the mesmerising beauty of the ‘Queen of Arabian Sea’ before the visitors.
“The arrival of domestic tourists marks a promising start to the full-scale resumption of Kerala tourism, overcoming the pandemic-induced crisis. This trend is set to gain pace in the coming days,” Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas said. “Kerala is a safe place for lockdown-weary vacationers to come, as we have put in place an efficient and meticulous bio-bubble model to create protective layers of inoculated service providers to receive and host tourists,” the minister added.
Venu V, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, said the state’s tourism sector was fast reconfiguring itself from the disruption caused by the pandemic. V R Krishna Teja, Director, Tourism, said tourism activities in Kerala are regaining its full pace, and that the recently announced visitor and stakeholder friendly Caravan Tourism policy will expedite the process. The cruise ship will leave for Kadamat in Lakshadweep in the evening. Voyager Kerala is the tour agent of the Kochi sight-seeing of the trip.