might offer a respite to Kerala’s tourism
stakeholders who are concerned about the lacklustre arrival of guests from places like Europe.
The Kochi Port foresees an increase in number of cruise liners arriving in the city, from 44 last fiscal to 50 in
2012-’13. This will have an added impact on the regional economy since cruise tourists are generally high
spenders. On an average, each cruise tourist spends $200 in the State during the ship’s stopover here for
less than a day. In 2011, the arrival of nearly 58,000 cruise tourists to Kochi generated revenue worth Rs 60
crore to the State’s exchequer.
Interestingly, more shipping companies are showing a preference to berth the vessel here overnight
. This is seen as a marked difference from the past when the vessels used to come early in the morning and
leave by evening. On Saturday, around 2,800 guests and 1,250 crew members arrived on board Celebrity
Solstice, a mega cruise liner having 19 decks. The ship arrived here from Muscat and will leave the city on
Sunday for Malaysia.
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