Kochi: It was the deep desperation caused by the liquor policy which banned liquor on Sundays that forced the House Boat Owners Federation to move Chief Minister Oommen Chandy seeking a moratorium on their banks loans.
“The total loan burden of the industry crosses Rs 125 crore as of now, and the liquor ban has driven us into deep crisis,” said Mr Jojy Mathew, president of the Federation told Deccan Chronicle.
“Most of our members are small operators who own one or two houseboats each. Many of us have bought a second one with loans after the first one proved to be a success. But this decision has wrecked everything,” he said.
“We have also demanded a provision for issuing permits for liquor consumption for tourists, so that we can continue with the business.”
There are over 1000 houseboats in the State, which charge between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 a day. “The occupancy rates are 100 per cent in the season and 60 to 70 per cent in the off season,” said Mr Rajesh Gopinathan, a tour operator in Kochi. “It has been hit hard.”
The houseboats which can accommodate up to 70 people used to be the mainstay of MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism in the State.
“Most are three-day programmes, starting on Fridays and ending on Sundays. Now that Sundays have been declared dry days, several meetings have been cancelled.”
The worst is yet to come as major operators have written off Kerala from their destination charts, said another operator. “Till now, we used to advise only Kerala destinations.
Now, we have added Goa and Colombo to the list,” he said. “This is the only way to survive as clients no more consider Kerala a preferred destination.”
