North India off radar as SE Asia tours lure cost-conscious Malayalis

An increasing number of middle-class families from Kerala are choosing Southeast Asian destinations over popular Indian tourist locations to unwind this summer.

- Krishna Kumar K E @Kochi

An increasing number of middle-class families from Kerala are choosing Southeast Asian destinations over popular Indian tourist locations to unwind this summer. While Thailand, Malaysia, and Bali top the chart, Vietnam has also made it to the list of preferred getaways.

Factors shaping the trend include cost—with international packages costing more or less the same and in certain cases even less—and connectivity to destinations such as Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and Phuket (Thailand).

"We visited Bali and Vietnam instead of the usual north Indian locales during the last two vacations. Vietnam was very memorable, with the spectacular beaches of Da Nang and bustling Hanoi catching our imagination. The whole weekend package cost us just around ₹55,000 per head," said Vinod Kumar K S, a resident of Elamakkara, Kochi.