Date:11/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/11/stories/2008111159350300.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

In search of the sun and sand

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

76 Estonian tourists are in the State for a break from the cold climes of their country

— Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

From Europe, with love: Estonian tourists being received with ‘panchavadyam’ at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport on Monday.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: They could not hide their excitement at this new experience. The pleasant climate, and coloured welcome replete with caparisoned elephant, ‘panchavadyam’ and ‘thaalapoli’ — the 76 tourists who arrived in the first chartered flight to the State from Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, here on Monday afternoon were seen soaking up the warmth, literally and figuratively.

Many captured the moments in handycams. Dekaterina, an accountant, was excited on seeing the elephant at close quarters. “I had seen an elephant only in the zoo and TV. I was scared to go near it initially. But am happy I could touch it,” she says .

Additional Director, Tourism, K.N. Satheesh and Deputy Director V.K. Ambujakshan represented the Kerala Tourism in the reception. Of the 76 tourists, 52 are leading travel agents.

The flight is being operated by city-based Destination Indus and Estonia-based tour operator Travel iN. “We are the first to operate to Kerala from Estonia. We have decided to aggressively market the destination in the coming months,” Katrin Aljaste, the marketing manager of the tour company, said.

Managing Director of Desination Indus, Varghese Oommen said the chartered flight from Estonia will arrive every fortnight on Monday till February and later as a weekly flight till April end.