THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Blooming cherry trees in Japan have caught the fancy of Malayalis, and they are now making a beeline to the East Asian island nation to witness the spring phenomenon.
Every week, several groups from Kerala are leaving for Japan to spend the vacation amid the blossoming trees, say tour operators. South Korea, Europe, the US, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Maldives, Dubai and Saudi Arabia are the other trending destinations this season.
“The island country has become a must-visit destination. We had noticed a demand just before the pandemic. But by the time we curated a tour package to Japan, the pandemic hit. Now, all the destinations are open,” said Benny P of Benny’s Royal Tours Pvt Ltd.
He said there was an overwhelming response to their Japan tour package. “All the slots were booked within no time. At present, three groups are already in Japan, while three groups are on the way. Each group has 45 people,” Benny said. The package costs around Rs 3 lakh per person. Benny said the cherry blossom season will last until mid-April.
“The snow corridor on Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, a 37-km-long sightseeing route, opens this month. After that, it will be autumn in Japan. We have packages for every season,” he said.
Demand for short-stay packages to Europe
Tourism industry experts said the sector is witnessing a boom like never before this season. They said the pandemic brought a paradigm shift in mindsets. Rather than keeping their savings for future generations, Malayalis now want to spend the money on exploring the world, the experts said.
Joby George, a tour operator, said Switzerland, France and the Netherlands are being preferred by those travelling to Europe.
“This is ‘revenge tourism’ — travelling with a vengeance after being forced to stay indoors for two years. There is a huge demand for short-stay packages to Europe, costing around 2 lahks. Bookings are full till August. As many as 14 groups, having 40-45 travellers each, are travelling to various destinations in Europe in April and May,” said Joby, who estimated that at least 10,000 Keralites will be travelling to Europe during the summer vacation. Outbound tour operator P R Rajesh said though the FIFA World Cup is over, Dubai and Saudi Arabia remain trending destinations.