Wednesday, March 30 2005 14:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kuala Lumpur: Tsunamis, quakes or aftershocks may dampen tourist arrivals in the exotic Southeast Asian locales for some time, but the increased attraction of these destinations would not hamper overall growth in tourism in the region.

A substantial number of Indian tourists would form the basis for "exponential" growth of tourism in the region, with more Indian carriers, including Indian Airlines, launching or expanding their operations in this part of the globe, tourism and aviation industry professionals in Kuala Lumpur said.

Speaking to visiting journalists after the inaugural flight of Indian Airlines landed in the Malaysian capital from Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (Mar 27, 2005), they said Kuala Lumpur and a large number of exotic beach destinations in the country would definitely attract air travellers, away from Bangkok and Phuket.

The travel trade professionals were upbeat over the additional services to be launched by Air Sahara and Jet Airways, saying the weekly number of travellers only to Malaysia could touch five to eight thousand in a couple of months.

Soon after the public sector carrier, which has been serving other Southeast Asian destinations, added the Delhi-Kuala Lumpur route to its network, private carriers Jet Airways and Air Sahara are slated to launch their services to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore next month.