KOCHI: A leisurely boat ride through Kerala’s rain-drenched backwaters during monsoon can be therapeutic. Just ask anybody. The Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) is now betting on that experience to keep its tourism operations afloat during the rainy season.
With weather restrictions halting tourist boat services from Kochi into the Arabian Sea till August 31, the state-run corporation has rolled out a series of monsoon-special backwater cruises, hoping to convert a seasonal challenge into an opportunity.
“The package includes two full-day destination cruises priced at `999,” said a KSINC official. “Both take visitors through the islands and waterways around Kochi. One route winds through Bolgatty, Mulavukad, Chittoor and other island settlements before reaching Pizhala, while another traverses the Kochi-Vaikom-Chembu stretch, ending at a fish farm in Palakkari.”
Beyond the scenery, made all the more enchanting by the pleasant climate and the rain, KSINC has bundled in live music, cultural and historical commentary, local cuisine, kayaking and pedal boating to offer patrons a more immersive experience.
The cruises begin and end at the KSINC’s Marine Drive terminal and are operated using its fleet of high-speed ferries (Michelle and Cleopatra) and solar-hybrid vessel (Sooryamshu).
“For those who cannot spend an entire day away on the water, we are also offering two-hour mini cruises through Kochi harbour region, passing landmarks such as Bolgatty, Fort Kochi, Vypeen and the port area,” the official added.
These will be arranged on KSINC’s two deluxe mini-cruise vessels, Sagararani, and will include live music. The fare covers tea and snacks too.
The move comes at a time when KSINC is looking to strengthen its tourism vertical. Passenger figures suggest that monsoon travel demand has remained resilient.
Data accessed by TNIE shows that the corporation’s tourist vessels carried 4,512 passengers between June and August last year, marginally higher than the 4,389 recorded during the same period the year before that. On both occasions, August emerged as the busiest month, accounting for more than half the season footfall.