The Tourism Department is all set to introduce the Hop-on, Hop-off (HoHo) concept, which allows visitors to get off at spots they want to see, or to stay on board in boats, while touring the Muziris Heritage Tourism Zone.
The four air-conditioned boats, which offer the HoHo facility will begin to ply between various heritage spots in the heritage zone next month, a senior tourism official said.
Each of the boats can accommodate 25 tourists and services will be operated every 15 minutes. State Tourism secretary Suman Billa told ‘Express’ that most of the places of interest in the Muziris heritage zone are next to water. “The service is being launched as a strategy to utilise the water bodies for creating a unique experience to the tourists,” he said.
The tourists will be provided with brochures with information regarding Muziris heritage zone and various places of interest. “In the future, we would also be utilising digital technology for providing commentary, as seen in international tourist destinations,” Suman Billa said.
According to him the boat journey would provide an altogether different experience for the tourist. There would be a common ticket for all heritage spots and the tourists would be able to explore them at leisure,” he said.
The construction of the 25-seater boats have been entrusted to the Kochi based private boat builder Samudra Shipyard (P) Ltd. The construction of boats are nearing completion.
“The infrastructure for launching the boat services, which include the seven boat jetties, have been completed. Two tourist facilitation centres have also been opened,” Suman Billa said.
Paravur MLA V D Satheeshan said the heritage zone will have proper sanitation facilities for visitors. Construction of seven world class toilets in the heritage zone have been completed.
According to him the project which faced several delays in the implementation level, got a boost because of the efforts of Chief Secretary E K Bharat Bhushan.
Excavations by the State Archaeological Department and the Kerala Council for Historical Research(KCHR) are also going on at the heritage site, he said.