In compliance with the COVID-19 protocols, the Thamarassery depot of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will resume its budget sightseeing tours from the district to various eco-tourism destinations on Friday. Preference will be given to participating in the first two weeks of journeys to those who have missed the earlier scheduled journeys due to suspension of service.
In the first phase, tours to Munnar ecotourism spot will be resumed as usual. Passengers will travel by air bus on Friday afternoon in such a way that they reach the campsite by midnight. Sleeper buses will be arranged at the destination to ensure a comfortable stay till morning. For a day’s sightseeing tour, a traveler will have to pay ₹1,750, which is the cheapest rate now available in the industry.
Travel coordinators say that during the yatra, arrangements will be made to visit around eight major places in and around Munnar. The passengers will have to bear the cost of food and entry fees at various places, apart from paying for the travel and accommodation package. He said that there will be two trips a week which will be scheduled on Friday and Saturday.
Keeping in view the interest of the travelers, efforts are being made to add more ecotourism destinations to the list. According to officials, specially scheduled tours for groups and families can also be started to explore business possibilities.
“We have finalized women-only trips to mark International Women’s Day. The booking for this is now open for interested participants,” said a KSRTC official from Thamarsery depot. He said the yatra would be conducted for a week from March 8, covering places like Nelliyampathy, Wayanad, Munnar, Vagamon and Gavi.
Within a month of launching the affordable tourism package, KSRTC managed to host five trips to various destinations. About 260 passengers took part in such trips. There was a lot of inquiry about tour packages and requests for adding more places. Considering the requests, KSRTC also promised to offer a special budget package for SHGs and organizations.