Kochi witnesses increase in inflow of Arab tourists

KOCHI: Despite fears of an economic downturn in the Gulf countries, the inflow of Arab tourists to the city has witnessed a many-fold increase.
Managers of four and five star hotels in the city claim that they had almost 100% occupancy in the otherwise lean monsoon period, due to high inflow of Arab tourists.
"In a span of two months - from July 5 to September 5, 2016 - 55,000 to 60,000 Arabs have landed in the three airports in the state.Last year, approximately 25,000 Arabs had visited the state during the same period," said K S A Shamsuddeen, president of Association of Arab Tour Operators (AATO).
According to him, tour operators have bookings close to 30,000 in hand and the number of Arab tourists may touch one lakh by the end of the year.
The tour operators were expecting a drop in number of Arab tourists this year following the controversy over visa approval for Saudi nationals.
"This year, temperature in most Gulf countries crossed 50 degree celsius. The school and college vacations also fall in the same period ," said Shamsuddeen.
The current security situation in Turkey also contributed to their inflow as the country was one of their top tourist destinations, he added.
To woo the Arabs, city hotels have appointed Arabic speaking drivers and staff. "There are over 3,000 Arabic speaking drivers in our organization which makes communication easy. Most tourists from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries face difficulty in communicating with anyone not well-versed in Arabic," said C H Navas, a tour guide and coordinator under AATO.
Munnar, Thekkady and Athirappilly are among their favourite destinations. Hotels are happy to receive them as they are considered to be "premium customers" who splurge on luxuries.
"Since the beginning of July, all the top suits and rooms have been booked by Arabs. Roughly 85% of all our suits have been booked by them during this season," said Saran Das, general manager of The Holiday Inn.
Similar is the case with other luxury hotels like Marriott, Ramada Resort and Radisson Blu.
"Last two months have been good for us as there has been an increase in Arab tourists to the city. Majority come to relax and few come for medical treatment," said Ramada Resort general manager Suresh Kumar.
"Their love for authentic Arabic food wherever they go has prompted the hotels to open special 'Arabic counters' serving exclusively Arabian cuisines," said Das. Though in the last few years, Kerala has been facing stiff competition from Sri Lanka, which is a cheaper tourist destination, Arabs are of the view that Kerala is among the best when it comes to food and hospitality.
"Infrastructural facilities in Sri Lanka are top-notch. Also we have a visa that is valid for only a month and can't stay longer in the country. Tourists are secure and safe here and majority speak English," said Hassan Ali, a tourist from Saudi Arabia, who is staying in a star hotel in Kochi.