It is heartening to note that tourism in Kerala has over the years transformed into a major means for prompting travellers from around the world to visit Kerala. And so far, these travellers have reached Kerala by road, rail and air. It is precisely in this context that I would like to invite the attention of the readers to a new trend that Kerala has started witnessing in recent years. Kerala is steadily witnessing the arrival of travellers through a different mode of transport - cruise ships. We at Kerala Tourism are delighted at this new development and would like to attribute it to the enhanced brand value of Kerala as a travel destination.

In the travel and tour industry, cruise ships cater to highly affluent segment of travellers, who look forward to some of the best travel experiences that money can buy. Being the case, it is indeed a thing to rejoice for Kerala Tourism that cruise liners have started reckoning Kerala in India as a must-see destination. And Kerala Tourism is proud of the fact that it is perhaps the only destination in India to get the attention of some of the cruise liners, overlooking regular ports of call like Mumbai and Goa.

But the trend of cruise ships arriving at Kerala coast has recently turned a new leaf. Till now, cruise ships called at Kochi and then proceeded to other destinations as per their itinerary. But for Louis Cruises, they had a different plan for Kerala, which we at Kerala Tourism whole heartedly welcomed. They wanted to start a cruise service with Kochi as their homeport. Now, this comes as an acknowledgement for the travellers at home, who are increasingly showing an affinity for cruise ship packages, especially the ones that would take them to South and South East Asian regions.

Louis Cruises India is the subsidiary of Louis Cruises, the cruise arm of Louis Group, a leading European tourism organization based in the Mediterranean. The company will operate three-day and one-day cruises out of Kochi from December 2009 to May 2010 on board the MV Aquamarine. This luxury cruise ship has a carrying capacity of 1,200 passengers and comes with all the comforts and amenities to meet the hospitality requirements of her Indian passengers. The cruises offered are on the Kochi - Maldives - Kochi route and the Kochi - Colombo - Kochi route, in addition to a one-night high sea sailing itinerary.

The coming together of Louis Cruises and Kerala Tourism has a common goal and that is to market and promote cruise tourism out of Kochi. Exotic voyages from Kochi, is an exciting product to offer the Indian market, which is craving for new experiences. Louis Cruises India is the only company that will be offering cruises from Kochi targeted at the Indian market. And I am of the firm opinion that this new initiative will further enhance the Kerala experience in a big way and will rightly prompt tour operators to offer even more attractive holiday options by clubbing the cruises with their existing packages.