
KANNIYAKUMARI: Over 31,000 tourists visited the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Tiruvalluvar Statue in Kanniyakumari over the last three days, in view of the Pongal holidays, with the recently inaugurated glass bridge proving to be the centre of attraction.
The glass bridge, built for Rs 37 crore, was opened to the public on December 30, 2024, by Chief Minister M K Stalin. Tourists began queuing since early morning to catch the ferry to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
On Thursday, Kanniyakumari District Collector R Alagumeena inspected the safety measures at the glass bridge.
Latha Shah, a tourist from Gujarat who returned on the ferry after visiting the spots, told TNIE, “The glass bridge is an amazing tourist attraction. It is superb.”
“Walking across the newly constructed glass bridge was an enjoyable experience. The children, in particular, enjoyed it a lot. It would be nice if vendors sell snacks and beverages near the rock memorial or the statue, as children may feel hungry after waiting for long hours,” said N Indira from Tirunelveli district.
P Rajagopal of Tiruppur district said he and his family members could not get the ferry tickets on Thursday, and as a result, they have to wait until Friday to visit the glass bridge.
M Manju, a tourist from Hosur said, “We are a group of 60 tourists. As the door of the boat jetty closed at 5 pm, we could not visit the glass bridge and returned disappointed.”
Sources in the know of the ferry service said, “We operated three ferries from 6 am to 5 pm during the Pongal holidays. As the weather was not favourable, we could not operate the ferries after 5 pm. The ferries are being operated based on the recommendations of the maritime board.”