Flight bookings to Kochi fell 17% in October: Survey

  • | Friday | 16th November, 2018

KOCHI: Flight bookings to Kochi, which tumbled to an average of 53% in August and September due to the floods, is yet to fully recover, according to a survey. In August, train bookings fell 27% but registered a 15% growth in September and a 20% growth in October. Ernakulam , along with Malappuram , Palakkad, Thrissur and Alappuzha were the worst-hit in train bookings. According to the survey, flight bookings to the state, both domestic and international, increased in September and October, which "indicates a steady revival in tourism for the southern state".However, the tour operators in Kochi are not too optimistic. "After the floods, we saw an average overall dip of about 53% in flight searches in August and September.

KOCHI: Flight bookings to Kochi, which tumbled to an average of 53% in August and September due to the floods, is yet to fully recover, according to a survey. While domestic and international bookings to Kochi have steadily revived in October, the overall figure is still 17% lesser as compared to the same period last year, stated the survey conducted by a travel and hotel booking website.Tour operators in Kochi too, confirming the trend, said inbound tourism has declined this year.While flight booking to Kochi in the domestic sector jumped 25% in the period from May to July, it fell 22% during the floods in August.The situation improved in September with 12% growth but even in peak season October, the bookings grew only just about 21%."After the floods, we saw an average overall dip of about 53% in flight searches in August and September. While domestic and international bookings to Kochi have steadily revived in October, it is still 17% lower as compared to the same period last year," said Aloke Bajpai, CEO and co-founder, Ixigo, a travel and hotel booking website.Even train bookings to the city have been hit as several trains were cancelled due to the floods. In August, train bookings fell 27% but registered a 15% growth in September and a 20% growth in October. Ernakulam , along with Malappuram , Palakkad, Thrissur and Alappuzha were the worst-hit in train bookings."With the onset of the peak tourist season and exciting events like the Kochi Biennale lined up, these numbers will continue to improve in the coming months," said Bajpai. According to the survey, flight bookings to the state, both domestic and international, increased in September and October, which "indicates a steady revival in tourism for the southern state".However, the tour operators in Kochi are not too optimistic. "Inbound tourism fell 30% in October-November. Cancellations have also been high over the past few months. Now, the Sabarimala issue is also likely to have an impact on these figures," said Praveen NS from New Prime India (Cochin) Tours & Travels."Hotel occupancy rate has declined and allied services have also been affected. People from abroad now think twice to before traveling to Kochi as insurance companies have been reluctant to offer insurance cover following the Nipah scare and the floods," said Joy Peter, Intersight Holidays.

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