The houseboats were placed seven years ago as an answer to Kerala's houseboats
A Karnataka houseboat. Picture for representational purpose.
Alapuzzha: Seeing how big a draw the houseboat industry is in God’s Own Country, Karnataka had attempted to promote its own houseboat tourism, but the experiment started some seven years ago seems to have ended in a damp squib. Its state–owned Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR) has stopped operating all the houseboats it had launched and is even auctioning one of them off as scrap.
The houseboats were stationed in the Kali River near JLR's Devbagh Beach Resort and in the Swarna River in Malpe seven years ago and were promoted as Karnataka's answer to Kerala's houseboat tourism. But three of the four boats stopped functioning two years ago and the last one was grounded after last year's monsoon. With attempts to repair and restore the boats proving uneconomical, the state has now reportedly decided to junk them.
Mr N Sreekumar, All Kerala Houseboat Owners’ Association (AKHOA) general secretary, says the houseboat business can only survive in certain conditions. “ It’s all about geographical advantage. Alappuzha is ideal for houseboat cruising as it is unaffected by high and low tides. Even Eranakulam is not as good a destination. Unlike Kerala, Karnataka does not have an abundance of pristine backwaters which can accommodate houseboats. The Kemmannu backwaters of Swarna River are one of the few locations conducive to houseboats in that state,” he explains.
Reports from Karnataka indicate that the state could barely compete with the range of offers that tourists could look forward to from houseboat operators in Kerala. “Last week, JLR announced auctioning of the houseboat leased to Paradise Isle Beach Resorts, a private company,” adds Mr Sreekumar. The Kerala houseboat industry is making no bones about its relief as at least 20 per cent of Alappuzha’s business is provided by tourists from Bangalore.
( Source : dc )
Next Story
