Tourism Ministry sanctions Rs 80.37 cr for cruise projects in Kerala

Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday sanctioned Malanad Malabar Cruise Tourism Project under Swadesh Darshan Scheme for development of a rural circuit in Kerala. Union Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons announced that under this project, the ministry will be developing three cruises with a budget of Rs 80.37 crores.

The project will be focusing on the development of water-based thematic cruise experiences in and around Valapattanam and Kuppam Rivers of Kannur District. Three thematic cruises being developed under this project will be on Valapattanam and Kuppam River.

The first cruise on Valapattanam River will be Malabari Cuisine and Culinary Cruise (Muthappan Cruise) which will start from Valapattanam and will cover a distance of 40 Km to reach Munambu Kadavu in Valapattanam River. There will be another cruise in Valapattanam River- Theyyam Cruise- which will begin from Valapattanam and will go up to Pazhayangadi in Valapattanam River.

The third cruise will be a Mangrove Cruise in Kuppam River covering a distance of 16 Km from Pazhayangadi to Kuppam.

The cruises under the project will be operated under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Under the project the union ministry will be providing funds for development of basic infrastructure facilities such as Passenger Terminals, Boat Terminals, Jetties, Boat Race Gallery, food courts, Performance Areas, Open Air Theatres, Angling Yards Cycle tracks, Handicraft Kiosks, Bio Toilets, Wi-Fi facility, Drinking Water Facilities, Floating Markets for local produce among others.

Sharing the information about these projects, the Ministry of Tourism emphasised on the significance of water tourism in the state and mentioned that it's potential hasn't been tapped yet.

"Waterways have been an important mode of transport in Kerala from the time immemorial. The total length of the navigation route in Kerala is 1900 km. Kerala has 44 Rivers and 7 Backwater regions. Water-based tourism is getting prominence all over the world. Kerala is blessed with wide stretches of water bodies. However, the potential of these is not tapped properly till date", it stated.