As part of the ‘Turn Around’ programme devised by Aida Cruises, a German-based cruise travel company, nearly 3,400 passengers travelled through Kochi from Saturday to Monday.
While almost 1,800 passengers arrived in Kochi on Saturday on board the Aida Diva, one of the luxury passenger liners of Aida Cruises,750 passengers arrived at the Kochi international airport on Monday on board Air Berlin and Concord Airlines respectively from Dusseldorf and Frankfurt and 500 passengers reached through air carriers like Emirates Air, Etihad and Qatar Airways.
Joy Peter, director of Intersight Tours and Travels, Kochi, said that for the last four years, Aida Cruises has been chosing Kochi as their boarding point in India as they felt that travel arrangements in Kochi including the seaport and airport match up to international standards.
‘Turn Around’ is a special programme devised by Aida Cruises to attract more passengers into world cruise programmes.
“Through the ‘Turn Around’ programme, passengers who travel by air are transferred to the cruise ship and those who travel via land will be put on to an air carrier. Hence they get a feel of both means of travel,” said Joy Peter.
Intersight Tours and Travels which function as local travel agents for Aida Cruises arrange facilities like sight-seeing for travellers who visit Kochi.