Chennai: A ship journey to Andaman islands, which commenced during the colonial era, still attracts tourists and local travellers, as it is the only enjoyable service for three days by sea available from India.
Now, with the tourist season running from April till July, people throng to get seats onboard the vessels despite four airlines — Air India, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Go Air — operating flights to Andaman from Chennai daily. “Our flights always run full. The demand is very high in the Chennai-Port Blair sector.
The demand skyrocketed especially after Kingfisher airlines stopped service. Last year, the flight fares went even up to Rs 23,000 one way during summer. Otherwise, the fare ranges between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,500,” said a senior private airline official.
He added that the flights reach Port Blair exactly in two hours, while the ship journey takes about 72 hours, including three nights from Chennai. “So, for tourists visiting Andaman, it would be interesting to travel by ship one way and return home by flight,” he added.
“This trend of tourists travelling by sea and then returning by air is common as tickets are available for the return journey, whereas the onward ship journey is mostly booked for the next two months,” said an official at Andaman House in Chennai. Passengers who go regularly by ship continue to do so, as local natives have to pay only one-third the fare.
Even otherwise, the ship fare ranges between Rs 2,160 and Rs 8,420 one-way, depending on the class, starting from bunk to deluxe. We can also relax onboard, said A. Babu, an Andaman native.
We currently have four ships, namely MV Nancowry, MV Nicobar, MV Swaraj Dweep and MV Harshavardhana, carrying passengers to the island from Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Kolkata.
The ships also carry a wide assortment of cargo including edible itmes from the mainland to Port Blair and return with frozen shrimps, rubber, copra and betel nut from Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
