KOTTAYAM: After a brief hiatus, the Kottayam depot of the KSRTC received confirmation last Saturday to operate a tourism service to the Nefertiti luxury cruise vessel in Kochi. The corporation charges Rs 3,560 for adults and Rs 1,250 for children, including the cruise and lunch.
Shortly after the depot authorities announced to start of services of their budget cruise package starting May 16, all tickets for the date were sold out.
The vessel, owned by the Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation, had been undergoing maintenance in Goa for some time.
The trip starts at 12 pm and the bus will return to Kottayam by night. The two-hour cruise will cover a distance of up to 12 nautical miles. The vessel boasts a banquet hall that can accommodate 200 people, and has a restaurant, a lounge bar, a 3D theatre, and a sundeck. Business meetings and private parties can also be hosted on the ship.
In fact, not only the Nefertiti package but all tour packages of the Kottayam depot announced for May have already been fully booked. Apart from Nefertiti, KSRTC offers packages to Mamalakandam (May 12 and 19), Gavi (May 18), and Malakkappara (26). “Initially, the Mamalakandam package was only planned for May 12th. However, due to overwhelming demand, a second trip was added, which has also been completely booked,” said Binoj B Chandran, coordinator of the budget packages.
For the one-day tour to Mamalakandam, the corporation charges Rs 950, including lunch. The tour starts from Bhoothathankettu and covers attractions like the Inchathotty Hanging Bridge, Mamalakandam waterfalls, Mankulam, and Anakkulam. The bus, which will start at 5 am, will return to Kottayam by 11 pm. Meanwhile, the Gavi trip costs Rs 2,150, covering entry passes, boating charges, and lunch. The Malakkappara trip costs Rs 720 and covers tourism centres such as Thumboormuzhi, Athirappally, Vazhachal, Charpa waterfalls and Sholayar Dam.
Due to demand during the vacation, the corporation is planning to introduce a couple of additional services in May. “We are considering operating services to Konni, Anchuruli, or Munnar in the third week of this month,” he said.
It was in 2021 that KSRTC launched budget tours from various depots to popular destinations. Although the Kottayam depot had previously operated multiple day trips, they were cancelled due to a shortage of driver-cum-conductor employees.