THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Those visiting the serene, unexplored and pristine white sandy beaches of Adimalathura — an emerging beach tourism destination in the capital — can soon indulge in a slew of adventure activities. Located close to the iconic and internationally-acclaimed Kovalam beach, Adimalathura has been witnessing a surge in the number of tourists lately.
This has prompted the Tourism Department to roll out several initiatives, including a floating bridge, water sports and other related activities at Adimalathura to offer those arriving here an exciting experience.
Parasailing, speed boating, jet skiing, sea rafting, kayaking, banana boating and bumper boating are some of the adventure tourism activities being considered at Adimalathura.
The project spearheaded by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) aims at transforming Adimalathura beach and the nearby fishing hamlet into an international tourism destination. According to official sources, the tourism department has invited proposals from prominent players from the hospitality, amusement and entertainment industries to invest and operate water sports at three beaches in Adimalathura. The tender has already been invited to set up a floating bridge.
“We are constantly taking efforts to increase activities in all tourism destinations to engage the visitors,” says an official of the tourism department. “The response has been really good. Adimalathura is one of the beach destinations in the capital with immense potential for adventure tourism activities. We have invited tenders, and the response has been really good. We will be able to award the work next month.”
Adventure tourism from September
The Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) and the Kerala Shipping & Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) have carried out inspections at Adimalathura to check whether the beach is suitable for setting up a floating bridge. Binu Kuriakose, the CEO of KATPS, tells TNIE that adven-ture tourism activities at Adimalathura will begin by September.
“The beach is suitable for several adventure activities, and our aim is to transform Adimalathura into a happening destination. We are exploring several new water sports, which, if implemented at Adimalathura, will be the first of its kind in Kerala,” Binu says. He adds that a pre-bid meeting with the private operators will be held soon.
“We will share our ideas with the operators taking part in the pre-bid meeting, and the agency will be selected through a quality cum cost-based Selection method,” explains Binu. “A technical committee comprising KATPS officials, industry experts and the DTPC will evaluate the proposals placed by the agencies, ranking them on technical evaluation. The agency with the maximum technical score will be selected for implementing the project.”
Binu says adventure tourism activities will become operational only next season. “Even if we are able to implement the project immediately, we will not be able to operate them because of rough weather. We normally don’t allow adventure activities during rough sea conditions. We will be able to launch the adventure sports by September or October,” he says.
He adds that KATPS has laid down guidelines for 32 types of adventure sports. “We are giving registration for adventure tourism operators in the state. Earlier, many operators were unable to get the license as an NoC from local bodies was mandatory,” says Binu. “Now, the government has removed that clause from the rules. There are around 300 adventure sports associations in Kerala.”
Responsible tourism to boost local economy
In an effort to boost the local economy through tourism, the tourism department is planning to implement Responsible Tourism (RT) initiatives at the Adimalathura fishing hamlet. The project, which will be implemented jointly by the tourism department, Responsible Tourism Mission and the local bodies, is expected to cost around Rs 50 crore.
The main objective is to ensure that the tourism activities in Adimalathura benefit the local fishermen community. “The fishing village has immense potential, and the destination will have much more to offer than the beach. The visitors can experience the village life of fishermen,” says a senior official of the tourism department. “The community interaction with the villagers will happen in April and May. We need to get their feedback and address grievances, if any. Once the interactions are over, we will invite applications from interested parties from the community who want to be part of the initiative.”
He adds that once the community interactions are over, the skill and human resource development programme will be launched immediately. “We need to finalise the beneficiaries and need to carry out an assessment survey before implementing the initiative,” the official says. The tourism department will soon initiate steps to form responsible tourism units at Adimalathura. As per the plan, tourists would be offered a slew of experiences ranging from traditional fishing methods, seafood specialities, fish auctions and the sale of value-added fish products.