Tourism News

First phase of Alappuzha tourism project will be completed in three years’

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation K.C.Venugopal has said the first phase of the Alappuzha mega tourism project, which is expected to put the town in a prominent place in the world tourism map, will be completed within three years.

The first phase of the project will bring in development of Rs 52.25 crore through projects planned from Aroorkutty to Kayamkulam. Already, a total of Rs 47.62 crore Central fund for the project has been sanctioned.The highlight of the project will be the setting up of seven houseboat terminals at a cost of Rs 14.95 crore at select places.The places are Aroorkutty, Thanneermukkom, Pallathuruthy, Nedumudi, Kanjipadam, Thottappally and Kayamkulam. Night halt terminals will be set up at Vattakayal in Nedumudi and Vilakkumaram in Karumadi. Other features include development of Arthungal beach at a cost of Rs 1.59 crore and Thottappally beach at a cost of Rs 1.02 crore.

Kumarakom gears up for responsible tourism

KOTTAYAM: In an effort to get Kumarakom the tag of an international model for responsible tourism, the state tourism department has began work on developing a master plan for the development of the tourist destination.

The department has assigned a Mumbai-based agency for preparing the plan within six months. "The main aim of the plan will be to develop the infrastructure of the region," said U V Jose, director, Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS), the implementing agency for the tourism department.

Salim Das, president of Vembanad Chamber of Hotels and Resorts at Kumarakom, said that priority should be given to restore the water flow in the Vembanad Lake. "For this, the third phase of the Thanneermukkom Bund has to be started," he said. Dhanya Sabu, president, Kumarakom panchayat, said that priority should be given to develop village life tourism in Kumarakom. "Boat Jetties for houseboats and passenger boats, canals to be dredged and cleaned so that small boats can also become part of tourism and pathways on the sides of the canals with streetlights and shopping kiosks need to be developed," she said. "Tourists are right now confined to resorts. They need to be brought out to visit the village," she said.

Kumarakom is likely to be declared as a global responsible tourism destination in the meeting, said Roopesh Kumar, state-level field coordinator, Responsible Tourism(RT).

The RT project helps the natives reap the benefits of the tourism industry by offering their products and services to visitors. It also provides opportunities for interaction with tourists giving the natives exposure to new ideas and cultures, and also gives them a platform for showcasing their talents.

Latest Houseboat Designs Introduced........

Houseboat cruising is very  popular in Kerala.Different types of houseboats  are presently exist in   alleppey.Some of the latest designs are, 3 bedrooms with a common toilet or separate toilets, a living space and a kitchen. Some have only two or even one bedroom, but has larger living rooms, a deck balcony at the roof-level, etc. Such balconies are supported by cantilevers or arm-like brackets extending from the hull of the boat. The largest Vemband lake, spread  into the three districts ,such as Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kottayam and has an area of 205 sq km. It opens out into the Arabian Sea at the Cochin harbour. The islands of Cochin are situated at the meeting place of the lake and the sea.

Approx Cost for single bedroom Deluxe A/C would be near by Rs 6000 -6500.Search in tripadvisor you will get a good operator.

New  Rent of Houseboats Introduced...

Starting point of a Kerala Houseboat Cruise is Alleppey / Kumarakom. Houseboats of Kerala are available for rental from prices starting from Rs.3500 for a Non A/C to Rs.40000 for a super luxury houseboat with butlers. Select a single bedroom houseboat for two people and two bedroom houseboats for four people, 3 bedroom houseboat for six people and a 5 bedroom houseboat for 10 People.

For centuries the backwaters of Alleppey,

Kerala have been used by local people for cooking, drinking and washing as well as for transportation, fishing and agriculture. They are also increasingly popular with tourists, who hire thatched houseboats to explore the tranquil palm-fringed waters and picturesque villages.However, unregulated tourism expansion is threatening rural communities and their environment, as well as undermining the economic benefits it brings to local people.

Tourism Concern is campaigning for immediate action by the Kerala Department of Tourism to ensure Alleppey tourism is both sustainable and of benefit to local communities

Thiruvananthapuram: A houseboat trip on the backwaters of Alappuzha or Kumarakom is billed as one of Kerala's exotic tourism products. But the future may not be bright for the 'product'.

For five days, nearly 650 houseboats did not ply due to a tiff between owners and employees over payments. The impasse ended on Friday evening after the two parties had conciliatory talks with Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar, and the employees were given pay hikes.

Tourists back in Kerala, industry hopes to recover from setback of recession

Alleppey (Kerala), Aug 19 (ANI): With the arrival of tourists back in Kerala... economic recession.  The Alleppey district houses some of the most popular..., the coastal state in southern India, with its pristine beauty and backwater

Thousands participate in Kerala's famous snake boat race -

Alleppy (Kerala), Aug.14 (ANI): Thousands of people participated in the annual snake boat race in Alleppey, Kerala state on Saturday. The event was organized... of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, who was on a visit to the state. Impressed

Thiruvananthapuram:

A houseboat trip on the backwaters of Alappuzha or Kumarakom is billed as one of Kerala's exotic tourism products. But the future may not be bright for the 'product'.

For five days, nearly 650 houseboats did not ply due to a tiff between owners and employees over payments. The impasse ended on Friday evening after the two parties had conciliatory talks with Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar, and the employees were given pay hikes.

Normally, once every two years, we do a review and increase the pay package of our employees. This time it was due in August," said Mr Pulikattil.

"But much before that, they demanded a wage hike from R

s. 4,500 to Rs. 10,000 a month and an increase in the daily allowance fromRs. 125 to Rs. 300. We refused and decided not to ply the boats."

Each houseboat usually has three full-time employees.

However, following Friday's talks, the salary of the employees was hiked to R

s. 6,850 and daily allowance to Rs. 170.

Jacob Samuel, president of All Kerala House Boat Owners Association, told IANS that the situation was not rosy.

"This was a product, which, for some years, was unique to Kerala. But things changed. Sri Lanka and Kashmir are now competing with us," said Samuel.

"Moreover, air fares to Kerala have sky-rocketed. Now, the increase in wages is going to be a big burden."

The new wages will come into effect from July.

Currently, the rates for an overnight houseboat ride for a couple, inclusive of three full mealsand tea and snacks, starts at R

s.4,000 on an average. This may go up.

"We have no other way but to hike the daily rates. To break even, we have to charge at least Rs.5,500," said Samuel. "The annual maintenance charges have also gone up and we have to shell out a minimum of Rs. two lakh. Things are going from bad to worse."

Members of the association said that during off season, they do not get more than 10 bookings a month while during the season (August to February), there are 22 bookings a month.

However, houseboat employees rue that since the cost of living was going up, they had no other option but to demand a pay hike.

"On an average, we get make R

s.7,000 inclusive of daily allowances. How can we run a family on this? Please tell us what we should do?" said a houseboat employee, not wanting to be named.