Kumarakam: The helicopter tourism project that was inaugurated during the Christmas holiday season has become a hit among tourists here. Even on Sunday, tourists were flown here adding impetus to the sector. Currently, resorts operate helicopter tourism packages on their own. Those who are working in the sector hope that Kumarakam will gain an upper hand in the tourism map of Kerala when the latest helicopter tourism project announced by the state government, in association with private parties too gets flagged off.
Suri Resort and Kumarakam Lake Resort are the two luxury resorts that have helipads at the moment. Meanwhile, other resorts are all set to build helipads on their properties. Even though the state budget had recommended building a helipad in Kumarakam, it didn’t materialize. Tourists could be flown to Kumarakam from the Cochin International Airport in under 25 minutes. Helicopters that could accommodate up to 5 to 10 passengers would be used for this service. Meanwhile, the fares start from Rs 1.50 lakh onwards depending upon the size and seating capacity of the helicopter.
Scope of helicopter tourism
Helicopter tourism offers an incredible chance to enjoy the aerial view of the beautiful backwaters and the splendid greenery of Alappuzha and Kumarakam. Interestingly, these are some of the activities that the tourists love enjoying here. Meanwhile, the resorts hope that they could get more bookings when the travelling time to reach Kumarakam gets reduced significantly. Helicopters could be used for rescue operations during natural calamities like the floods. The newly built helipads could also be used for landing the helicopters that are involved in rescue operations.
