Budget tourism journeys in Kerala carried out by the KSRTC goes full throttle

“Who would have thought that I might go on solo journeys at this age? I really feel 16, not 60,” a child-like happiness is palpable in Jessy Joseph’s voice. This retired instructor from Thiruvananthapuram is referring to the finances tourism journeys of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).

The KSRTC buses, or aanavandi, as they’re fondly referred to as, the identify derived from the 2 elephants which might be a part of its emblem, have been plying passengers to vacationer locations, temples, historic locations, monuments and so forth throughout the State. The initiative, run by the Budget Tourism Cell (BTC), a vertical below the KSRTC, was launched in 2021.

A whopping 1,500 tour packages are in pressure now, operated by 90 out of the whole 93 KSRTC depots in Kerala, whereas bringing reduction to the cash-strapped KSRTC. “The stipulated goal is ₹10 crore a month, which isn’t simply attainable. But we might accumulate half of it in December-January. Last month’s income was ₹2.51 crore, whereas it was ₹90 lakh in March 2024,” says R Udayakumar, Chief Traffic Manager, KSRTC. The driving pressure behind the expansion has been the Minister for Transport KB Ganesh Kumar and current Managing Director Pramod Shankar, he provides.

Introduced in the course of the tenure of Biju Prabhakar because the MD, the BTC journeys have lined many unexplored scenic spots within the State. “No different State has such an elaborate scheme. Karnataka is doing it on a small scale, that too via contract carriages,” Udayakumar provides.

The first BTC package deal, earlier than the official launch of the Cell, was from Chalakkudy depot to Malakkappara on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in Thrissur district, in September 2021. “I used to be a passenger then and it turned out to be so memorable that I’ve been a part of virtually all journeys from Chalakkudy depot. A favorite of the lot has been to Mamalakkandam [in Ernakulam district]. The picturesque path was adventurous in addition to refreshing. I’m now ready for brand spanking new packages,” says Bindu VU, a authorities worker, who has been on over 20 package deal excursions.

Currently there are BTC providers to Malakkappara from all KSRTC depots, the spotlight of the package deal being a journey slicing via a forest space, with viewpoints at Athirappilly, Charpa, Vazhachal, Peringalkoothu dam, Anakkayam bridge, Sholayar dam, tea estates and so forth.

The packages are priced from ₹200 onwards, as within the case of Nagarakazhchakal, a two-hour experience on an open-top electrical double-decker inside Thiruvananthapuram metropolis. It goes as much as ₹6,500, for a two-day package deal from Kasaragod depot to Gavi in Pathanamthitta district. Except for brief journeys, the charges cowl meals and lodging. Passengers are put up in dormitories with neat restrooms, an official says.

At current, probably the most variety of BTC journeys are operated to Munnar in Idukki adopted by Gavi. Over 3120 excursions have been carried out to Munnar within the final 4 years, Udayakumar provides. The newest attraction in Munnar is the Royal View double-decker bus that operates three providers every day providing a panoramic view of the tea city in three hours, passing via the scenic Munnar GAP highway with a surprising view of the Western Ghats, tea plantations, misty hills and so forth. It was Minister Ganesh Kumar who steered the design for the bus and the route, Udayakumar says.

“We even have stay-in sleeper buses on the depot with a complete of 150 seats, priced ₹220 per head,” says Anish R, coordinator, BTC (Central zone).

A visit to Gavi that has a pristine forest cowl teeming with wildlife and birds is commonly clubbed with a go to to Adavi, well-known for its coracle experience throughout Kallar river, and a trek to Parunthumpara in close by Idukki district.

The BTC has additionally tied up with Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) for a tour on its luxurious liner, Nefertiti, in Kochi. A experience via the Arabian Sea within the three-decker ship, having fun with music, good meals, video games and extra is a large hit. Tour packages are additionally being organised to different KSINC vessels, Sagararani and Suryamshu in Kochi.

Mango Meadows, the agricultural theme park at Kaduthuruthy in Kottayam district, additionally figures on the record of all depots.

For the devotees

Pilgrimage tourism is an enormous draw with buses plying to all of the well-known temples throughout Kerala. Included on this are seasonal packages to Thiruvairanikkulam in Ernakulam, Naalambalayathra, overlaying temples devoted to Lord Ram and his brothers Lakshmana, Bharatha and Shatrughna, in Kottayam and Thrissur districts, and the Panchapandava temples unfold over Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts amongst others. We operated 250 providers to Thiruvairanikkulam this season, says Anish.

During this 12 months’s Attukal Pongala in Thiruvananthapuram, 103 journeys have been organized from throughout Kerala. “Now temples are approaching us for tour packages,” says Udayakumar. He provides that BTC has particular packages for instructional establishments as properly, referred to as Travel to Technology and almost 50 colleges have utilised it. “The concept was mooted by the current MD. He additionally got here up with the idea of Ananthapuri Darshanam, a package deal overlaying temples in Thiruvananthapuram,” he says

Now that summer season is at its peak, journeys are being scheduled to locations with cooler temperatures. The BTC has a coordinator in every district and they’re assigned to provide you with new packages. “In Thiruvananthapuram now we have the Theeradesayathra or a visit via the coastal stretch, overlaying Poovar, Vizhinjam, Kovalam, Shanghumugham, Veli, Muthalappozhi, Anchuthengu and Varkala,” says VA Jayakumar, district coordinator, BTC, Thiruvananthapuram (North). Over 240 packages are scheduled for locations throughout Kerala this month from numerous depots within the district.

An bold package deal arising is night time trekking at Chingeri Hills in Wayanad, in affiliation with District Tourism Promotion Council. Trips will likely be operated from Sulthan Bathery and Kalpetta depots. “Wayanad already has an evening jungle safari from Mananthavady and Sulthan Bathery depots. We have carried out over 300 such journeys. Like Munnar, there’s stay-in sleeper bus facility at Sulthan Bathery depot, with 61 mattress areas organized in 5 buses,” says Varghese CD, zonal coordinator, BTC (North).

One of the passengers, KG Vijayakumar from Ramapuram in Kottayam, says, “I loved staying in these sleeper buses. Even although I’ve relations there, I most well-liked to be within the bus as a result of it was one thing new.”

A well-liked package deal on this zone is the Nilambur circuit overlaying Conolly’s Plot that has world’s oldest teak plantations, Teak Museum and Kakkadampoyil waterfall.

Muraleekrishnan TV, junior superintendent at District Collectorate, Kannur, and a common of the finances journeys, says he seems to be ahead to packages in the course of the wet season. “Paithalmala trek [in Kannur] was certainly one of them. I’ve been there thrice and it was a distinct expertise every time. The Kasaragod journey has been memorable with visits to Ranipuram, Madhur Ganapathy temple, Bekal Fort, and Sri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy temple well-known for its crocodile; in Wayanad, we went to En Ooru, the tribal settlement, Honey museum and so forth; the Kozhikode package deal was particular with visits to Janakikaadu, Thonnikkadavu, Peruvannamuzhi dam… There is a lot to see in our State.”

Meanwhile talks are on to start out common inter-state journeys, particularly to locations in Tamil Nadu.

While senior residents make up a majority on the record of passengers who flip up for the journeys there are exceptions like 27-year-old Ajmal CP from Malappuram who travels along with his pals. “Initially we have been sceptical about how it will prove. But we loved our first journey to Munnar a lot that we haven’t missed any package deal from the depot and have gone for over 10 journeys within the final one 12 months,” says Ajmal.

Jessy provides that many of the passengers on these journeys have their very own autos but they selected to journey with a bunch. “By selecting a public transport these persons are doing an awesome service for the surroundings. Lesser the autos, lesser the air pollution,” factors out Sumesh Kumar, Zonal Coordinator (South), BTC.

The passengers are appreciative of the conduct of KSRTC employees opposite to the notion that they’re impolite. Some passengers level out that the employees exit of the best way to make sure an gratifying expertise for the group.

“The finest a part of these journeys is forging friendship. We begin the journey as strangers however by the tip we grow to be shut pals. The KSRTC personnel in cost make sure that we bond with one another with dance, music and so forth,” say Jessy and Vijayakumar. Bindu provides, “Our security is all the time taken care of.”

When a package deal is introduced, the registered passengers are added to a WhatsApp group. That group is stored energetic and the members keep up a correspondence. The depots announce the complete schedule for a month on their social media pages and in WhatsApp teams.

There isn’t any dearth of challenges as properly. The situation of the buses has usually come below scrutiny. “We work with a number of limitations. Sometimes now we have to pay from our pockets in case of an emergency. At the tip of the day, we would like our passengers to return house joyful,” says a KSRTC conductor on situations of anonymity.

Contact the district coordinators for updates on the journeys: Thiruvananthapuram: 9447479789; Kollam: 9747969768; Pathanamthitta: 9744348037; Alappuzha: 9846475874; Kottayam and Ernakulam: 9447223212; Idukki and Ernakulam: 9446525773; Thrissur: 9074503720; Palakkad: 8304859018; Malappuram: 8547109115; Kozhikode: 9544477954; Wayanad: 7907305828; Kannur: 8089463675; Kasaragod: 9895814585