THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) is gearing up to relaunch Shankhumukham as an adventure tourist spot as the construction of the Airport Road and protection wall got completed. Earlier, the full-fledged operation of the tourist destination didn’t quite go as planned owing to ongoing construction activities. Jet skiing and speed boating are some of the adventure sports that will be introduced at Shankhumukham. The DTPC has written a letter to the district administration requesting to clear fishing boats from the beach.
The destination has been witnessing a huge inflow of visitors, especially during the weekends. An official of the tourism department said it is planning to relaunch the destination with a formal inauguration soon. “Now that the construction works have been completed, we will be able to set out ideas in motion that we have been planning in the beach area. There is huge scope for adventure tourism, and we will be able to soon launch sports like jet skiing and speed boating. The beach area has been taken over by fishermen and the number of fishing boats has gone up. We have sought the intervention of district administration,” said the official.
In addition to this, the DTPC is also planning to turn Shankhumukham into a wedding destination. A project worth `4 crore is being finalised at the Muthuchippi Park to transform it into a wedding venue. “The project will take off immediately and is in its final stages,” the official added.
The authorities are also chalking out a strategy to transform the destination into a plastic-free area. There are several vendors running shops at the location, and the authorities are planning to designate a special vending zone to relocate the traders. “We will give special designs for the vending cart and provide uniforms for the vendors. We have plans to allot a common area for the vendors to clean the utensils. Efforts will be taken to reduce the quantity of waste generated, and plastic will be strictly banned,” the official added.