KOCHI: A houseboat drifting away across a placid lake is one of the first images that strike one at the mention of Alappuzha, which is part of Kerala Tourism’s Goldent Triangle, along with Kumarakom and Munnar. However, the backwaters of Alappuzha are crowded with houseboats, and business is dull there, say analysts. And this could be the right time for Kochi to exploit the tourism potential of its backwaters, they add.
Currently, the tourists deboarding at Kochi airport travel two hours to Alappuzha to enjoy houseboat sojourns. If the rural areas of Ernakulam are tapped, these tourists can easily be retained at Kochi. This would give a better publicity for Kochi tourism in the international market, noted advocate Ebenser C L, who is also the founder of ‘Kochi Metro Passengers Forum’.
Unexpected rains, and the cost involved in launching and maintaining houseboats are cited to be the challenges before the Ernakulam tourism department. Incidentally, the Kochi Metro Rail Corporation (KMRL) is also facing similar concerns regarding its Water Metro project.
“We can think of the houseboat projects only after bringing the Water Metro project on track,” said a KMRL official. “As part of developing tourism, there will be many initiatives to attract foreign tourists. However, no decision on houseboats has been taken yet.” Ebenser believes Kochi’s backwaters can house up to 300 houseboats. “If KMRL can share the jetty and infrastructure of Water Metro, the tourism sector can expect a great boom,” he said.