Kochi: In a survey result released by OYO’s annual travelopedia, beaches in Kochi were deemed the second-most sought-after beach destination after Goa in the country. Kochi was followed by Visakhapatnam and Puducherry.
The survey that was done on regular travellers and those who had booked hotels online frequently showed that, lockdown, restrictions and the pandemic in general had led to a steep fall in tourism in the state especially in Kochi, which stood at nearly 44% of foreign tourist’s first destination in Kerala.
OYO’s travel data shows January 2020 (pre-Covid) as the most travelled month this year in general, followed by most cancellation of reservations at hotels and home-stays in Kochi in April 2020 after the state took an aggressive approach in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, with the easing of pandemic-related measures and regulations on a worldwide scale, and with the New Year’s travel trends, tourists are once again expected to crowd Kochi’s beaches.
The survey also indicated that due to the winter season, an uptick in beach tourism is expected in the state.
Well, this doesn’t come as a surprise as we are aware that Indians in general love to travel and over many years Kerala has been a hub for the wanderlust because of its rich and luscious scenic beauty.