Karnataka’s heli tourism initiative is poised to expand to Mangaluru, with the New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) and the state tourism department collaborating on the project. If successful, foreign tourists arriving on cruise liners at NMPT will be the first to experience heli tours of the city and beyond.
Though heli tourism was proposed years ago, issues like maintenance delayed its launch. Now, with a green signal from the state tourism department, the project is back on track. From December to May, around 8,000 foreign tourists visit Mangaluru through cruise liners, arriving in the morning and departing by evening.
The plan is to offer helicopter rides to nearby tourist spots in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, giving tourists a broader opportunity to explore the region’s temples, churches, and mosques during their eight-hour stopover. The tourism department is also finalizing fare details, with an initial focus on Dakshina Kannada.
Salma K Pahim, secretary of the Karnataka tourism department, confirmed that heli tourism is nearing completion and that demand for similar services is growing across the state.
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