KOCHI: Houseboats seen in the backwaters in Alappuzha will soon cruise in Kochi waters too when a dedicated terminal becomes operational at DTPC boat jetty at Marine Drive on Friday.The venture by Empire Greenix will see around 50 houseboats providing facilities for night stay plying in Kochi backwaters in the coming months.
The terminal was inaugurated by Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran in the presence of Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) managing director Prasanth Nair on Thursday.
Empire Greenix is a joint venture of Dubai-based marine equipment manufacturers and supplier Empire Marine and cultural event organiser Greenix based in Fort Kochi.“Currently, there are no houseboats with facility for night stay operating in Kochi. On a trial basis, we have introduced one boat with two bedrooms.
“However, we will be introducing around 50 houseboats in the coming months. Apart from them, we will also have other boats including speed boats, kayaks and luxury cruise boats operating from the terminal,” said Greenix director Saritha Babu. The tourists looking for houseboat experience can spend a day and night cruising through the backwaters in Kochi. The houseboat will cover Mulavukad island, Kadamakudy, Bolgatty, Ramanthuruth, Kochi Port, Wellingdon Island, Vypeen and Fort Kochi.
“Tourists can witness both village and urban life in Kochi,” She said.
The terminal has been taken on lease from the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC). “Once Kadamakudy tourism project promoting village tourism is completed, this terminal can be linked with the houseboat terminal proposed in Kadamakudy. Houseboat tourism is a promising segment for Kochi.
“Considering the number of tourists arriving in Kochi annually, houseboat tourism will be an attractive package for them,” DTPC Secretary S Vijayakumar said.
Michelle gets going
Empire Greenix has joined hands with KSINC to operate its tourist-cum-ferry vessel Michelle which has been remaining ideal in Kochi for the past several months. Michelle can accommodate 120 tourists and can operate for a distance of eight to 10 nautical miles off the coast.
Boat manufacturing unit in Kochi
The Dubai-based Empire Marine will soon start marine equipment and small boat manufacturing unit in Ernakulam. “The construction of the manufacturing unit will start soon. We are waiting for a few sanctions. We have been one of the leading manufacturers of marine equipment and silver line (fibreglass sailboats),” Hussain said. Currently, the boats are manufactured in Sri Lanka. “However, the boat operators have to pay hefty duty bringing boats from abroad. By manufacturing boats here, the prices of boats can be brought down at least by 40 per cent.”