Come October, Kerala will be luring tourists by launching a helicopter tourism service.
The Great India Tour Company, in association with King Rotors and Air Charter Private Ltd, is starting the service, the first such in the state, from the second week of October.
Visitors will be taken from one tourist spot to the other in a seven seater helicopter to save time and also discomfort on the roads, says E M Najeeb, chairman, Air Travel Enterprises, which is marketing the packages through its leisure arm.
GITC is showcasing a bouquet of tourism packages -- Helicopter tourism, Golf Tourism, Sports and Rural Tourism and Medical Tourism -- at the ongoing Kerala Travel Mart.
A number of cost effective packages have been designed in the helicopter tourism segment like 'Capital by Air', 'Backwaters by Air', 'Fly the Hills' and 'Shoreline Flights'.
The 'Capital by air' offers sightseeing trips around Thiruvananthapuram. The backwater trip takes tourists around Kumarakom, while the 'Fly the hill' provides tourists a taste of the hill stations at Thekkady and Munnar.It will also touch Kochi and Kumarkkom. The 'Shoreline' flights offers sightseeing to Kanyakumari along the picturesque coastline.
Besides the Helicopter tourism packages, ATE offers charter trips to conference destinations and during disasters.
It can also be used as air ambulance during relief operations and for geophysical surveys.
Nazeeb said clearance has been received for the project.
The GITC, in association with the Trivandrum Golf club, would be launching Golf Tourism packages. The Trivandrum Golf club is the second oldest golf course outside Great Britain, Nazeeb said, adding that the club has been attracting lots of foreign tourists, including diplomats and businessmen.
The Trivandrum Golf club buidling is a heritage structure more than 100 years old.
As part of efforts to promote Golf Tourism, GITC proposes to bring in well known golf players to the Golf club, he said.
The company also proposed major tie-ups with corporates and other related organisations. The Golf tourism packages would be marketted to corporates and the lovers of the game, Najeeb added.
