Bhubaneswar, April 26: Even before the first flight to Kuala Lumpur took off from here tonight, travel enthusiasts have begun to show great eagerness to visit Malaysia.

What's interesting is that its young professionals and university students who have taken the lead in booking tour packages to Malaysia.

Shibani Routray, a young teacher at Sai International School here, will be travelling to the southeast Asian nation with her husband and friends in the last week of May. They had booked their trip in March.

"When the announcement to have direct flights to Malaysia from here was made, we got in touch with a number of tour operators and finally selected a package that suited us," said Shibani.

Several tour operators told The Telegraph that direct flights to Malaysia have helped cut down travel expenses and packages have been adjusted accordingly. "The number people who can afford the tour package have increased with direct flights to Malaysia from here. Many are even planning a trip to Malaysia independently. Since the last two months, we have been receiving around 100 queries and almost 20 bookings every week. The bookings are either for our packages or flights," said Anuvav Mishra, a tour operator in Cuttack.

Packages to Malaysia are available at prices as low as Rs 22,000 per person and goes up to Rs 50,000 for a four-five day trip.

"The packages include accommodation, flight tickets and local tours. Prices depend on the type of hotels one prefers and the number days they want to spend there. The expenses are cheaper in comparison to the cost incurred on travelling to places such as Bangkok or Singapore," said Sarita Nanda of tour company Trip For Fun Private Limited.

A number of university students from across the state are also travelling to Malaysia within the next two months. With examinations over and varsities closed, the timing is just right.

Subrat Kumar, a student of Utkal University, will take the trip with his friends next week. "I am going with my school friends who are now students of various universities across the state. The trip will further strengthen our bond," he said.

"I have been staying out of the state for over a year, so I decided to take a trip with my family to spend quality time together," said Garima, who has planned a trip to Kuala Lumpur.

If there is a rush to visit Malaysia, tour operators are also expecting an increase in the number of visitors to Odisha. "A number of tour operators based in Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia have contacted us as they want to send tourists. This is a welcome sign," said tour operator Prashant Patnaik.