New air links bring UAE tourist boom to Kerala

The Kadavu Backwater Resort, near Calicut in southern India, has had to expand to accommodate the growing number of visitors to the area.

CALICUT // The opening up of India's skies to international aviation has allowed a little-known city to blossom, welcoming increasing numbers of UAE residents who are eager to enjoy a quick getaway in beautiful surroundings. Calicut, in the southern state of Kerala, has become a destination for a number of Middle Eastern airlines. Also known as Kozhikode it combines beaches, mountains and backwater lagoons.

Eleven new routes have opened to Calicut, including direct flights from Sharjah, Muscat and Doh, since its airport became international in 2006. Etihad Airways introduced the latest link from Abu Dhabi in August, turning India into the largest market served by the airline. "This was for tourists who are coming from Europe to see Kerala, and the Indian population in UAE," said Thomas Clarke, spokesman for Etihad Airways. "We are also linking the city with Indians living in Canada or Europe. Flying between Calicut and Abu Dhabi is a quick turnaround."

In turn, hotels such as the Kadavu Backwater Resort, 14km from the airport, have expanded to keep up with "even off-season demand", said NG Menon, the hotel general manager. Off-season trade brings mostly UAE nationals, who flock to the state in the summer months. Many travel for the supposed rejuvenating qualities of the monsoon rains, while others seek the benefits of traditional Ayurvedic medicine.

Today, Kerala's economy is buoyant thanks to the state's promotion as a tourist destination, and projects such as the Kadavu resort. Even NK Mohammed, a Dubai investor who built the resort 10 years ago, could not have foreseen how Kerala would take off in such a short time. "This was a property in the middle of nowhere," said Mr Menon. "People thought Mr Mohammed was mad because he would have to park at least a kilometre away and walk into the forest to see this piece of land. There were no roads. That is the difference in how things are now."

In the UAE, travel companies who previously promoted the "golden triangle" of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur in the north of the country are increasingly looking to the south when attempting to attract customers. "When myself and my wife decided we wanted to go to India, it was Delhi we initially looked at," said Chris Smythe, a banker from Dubai. "But the offers for Kerala were very good and in the end we went there on a five-day break.

"The way the south was pushed by the travel agents was very persuasive. It is an area of India that is very beautiful - and the north is a lot more touristy. "It was a great trip and I have told lots of people in Dubai it is a way to experience an India that not a lot of people know about." [e-mail]