Cruise liner pays maiden visit to Kochi

             

Nov.8
Kochi
Star Clipper, a luxury cruise liner which arrived here on Tuesday with 110 tourists and 75 crew, left for Similan Islands, Thailand, on Wednesday.This is the first visit by Star Clipper to Kochi, said a spokesman for GAC Shipping, Kochi agent for the vessel. He said that its sister vessel Star Flyer had called at Kochi earlier.
The passengers comprised Europeans, Australians and Americans. Heavy rain on Tuesday had prevented the tourists from making quick excursions to the nearby areas of tourist interest which they did on Wednesday before sailing off to Thailand.

Cruise season
The visitors enjoyed a quiet evening of Kathakali at Hotel Taj Malabar on Tuesday and visited areas of tourist interest and took rides of the backwaters before they sailed off.The arrival of Star Clipper took the total number of cruise vessels calling at Kochi to 14 this season even as the cruise season is just about to begin.
Twelve more vessels have confirmed their visit to Kochi during the current cruise season. This is a big achievement for Kochi considering its emergence as a new-found favourite among cruise sail stops.
According to a spokesman for the Cochin Port Trust, during the last financial year, a total of 38 vessels called at the port. The number is expected to be matched this season.