Chennaiites trek, cruise on holidays

V Ayyappan & Nidhi Mukundan | TNN

Dec 26, 2009:

Chennai: On New year this year, M Narayanan, a businessman, will be on board a cruise ship anchored off the beach of Male. Tired of visiting conventional tourist spots, Narayanan wanted something different. He therefore did not think twice when he heard about a package being offered by Louis Cruises, a Greece-based shipping company.
With Christmas and New Year holidays ahead, Chennaiites have started packing bags, all set to travel on holiday. While some will spend the vacation on a cruise on the Arabian sea or trek on the Ooty hills trying to spot Malabar Giant Squirrel, others will head towards Wayanad, the land of wild elephants. Yet others will enjoy five-star luxury at several popular resorts.
A majority of travellers have booked accommodation in tourist spots in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, as well as to Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and, after decades, to Sri Lanka. The demand is so good that tour operators and resort owners, wary of the impact of the economic downturn, are thrilled.
Thomas Cook has come up with a top seven ‘must visit’ destination teaser: Kashmir, Mussoorie, Goa, Kerala, Darjeeling, Himachal Pradesh and Shimla. The city-based Hi Tours that markets Louis Cruises has booked four families for the cruise that starts from Kochi on December 30, sailing to Maldives and returning on January 2.
“Most people are going for short getaways, and the cruise is ideal. It also gives the tourist a different experience,” said Hi Tours vice president, M K Ajith Kumar.
“This particular season has been so much better than the other seasons in the year. Ooty, Kodaikkanal, Thekkady, Munnar, Puducherry, Mahabhalipuram are places Chennaiites want to visit. We have not been able to get tickets for some of our clients, to Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius and Colombo,” said E S Subrahamaniyam, managing director, Fulcrum Tours & Travels.
Resorts in Kerala are doing roaringbusiness. Thomas George Muthoot, director, Pappachan Muthoot Group, which has two properties in Kerala, said, “The last few months have been difficult, but for the New Year we are looking at almost full occupancy in both the hotels.”
Said a Thomas Cook officer: “With the economy recovering slowly, this has been an excellent season for bookings; the number of both inbound and outbound tourists has risen. More people have now started travelling within India also.” Destinations such as Lonavala, Goa and Poovar are all-time favourites for the New Year. There also special destinations — the Ananda Spa in the Himalayas, for instance.
Unwinding In Style
Tourists leaving for short getaways have been a huge hit this holiday season in spite of the economic downturn
Apart from Sri Lanka, which tourists are visiting after decades, cruises on luxury liners have become popular
Resorts in Kerala are also doing roaring business with most hotels being fully occupied
Abroad destinations in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore are proving to be evergreen hit with tourists