The tourism board of Kerala is launching the Malanad-Malabar River Cruise project on 15 February.
As of the result, tourists visiting Kerala will soon be able to enjoy a river cruise like never before.
The launch will feature 11 types of boat rides that provide individual thematic experiences and attracts tourists to the state’s less-explored areas.
“The tourism sector is a major contributor to Kerala’s resurgence in the post floods period. Visitors are arriving from all over the world. Govt has also intensified the implementation of projects in the sector. A good example for this is the Malanad-Malabar River Cruise project” tweeted CMO Kerala on January 13 2019.
The projects aim to highlight the waterways in the northern districts of Kannur and Kasaragod.
In addition, the project will also showcase the Malabar region’s culture, rich with local legends and folk arts.
The cruise project is being carried out along the rivers of Mayyazhi, Valapattanam, Ancharakkandi, Kuppam, Perumba, Kavvayi, Thejaswini, and Chandragiri rivers besides the sprawling Valiyaparamaba backwaters.
10 Points You Need To Know About The 1st River Cruise Service
1) The first service will be on the route linking Parassinikkadavu and Pazhayangadi. The project will also help showcase the Malabar region’s culture, rich with local legends and folk arts.
2) The endeavour envisages 48 boat terminals and jetties along seven rivers across the districts of Kannur and Kasaragod. The work on two terminals is over. Upholding the principles of Responsible Tourism, the project also ensures the participation of the local population.
3) Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran has said, “It guarantees a better livelihood to the people around. They include the fisher folk, farmers, drivers of cabs and auto-rickshaws, handicraft workers and handloom labourers.”
4) KTDC will run the boats, six of which are being manufactured, in the first phase, by the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation.
5) This project is being implemented by the government’s Inland Navigation Department and state-owned KEL, with T V Madhukumaras the architect.
6) Rani George, Principal Secretary of Kerala Tourism, has said the state-of-the-art boat terminals at Parassinikkadavu and Pazhayangadi in the Kannur district have been completed at a cost of ₹7.5 crore. “Both the government and private parties would run the cruises,” she said.
7) “As for the rest of the project, 90 per cent of the work on the terminals and jetties is complete. The cruise project had, in September 2018, been sanctioned ₹80.37 under the Swadesh Darshan scheme that promotes rural tourism circuits.” Kerala Tourism Director P Bala Kiran said the developmental work was fast progressing under the scheme.
“The Malanad-Malabar project will get world-class cruise packages once the Swadesh Darshan enters its second phase,” he said.
8) The cruise project is being carried out along the rivers of Mayyazhi, Valapattanam, Ancharakkandi, Kuppam, Perumba, Kavvayi, Thejaswini and Chandragiri rivers besides the sprawling Valiyaparamaba backwaters.
9) Not limited to just trips down these waterways, the concept features cruises based on the varied themes of North Malabar culture.
For instance, the Mayyazhi river cruise will give the tourist an experience of Kalarippayattu martial art, while the Anjarakkandy package will commemorate the anti-British struggles of Pazhassi Raja and the region’s spices.
The other thematic cruises are on Malabari cuisine, Birds and Agriculture (along the Valapattanam river).
10) Besides, there is the Mangrove cruise (Kuppam), Music cruise (Perumba), Handloom and Handicraft cruise (Kavvayi and Valiyaparamba), Water Sports and River Boating Cruise (Thejaswini), Model Responsible Village cruise (Valiyaparamba) and Yakshagana cruise (Chandragiri).
Overall, the plan is to bring Malabar out of its near obscurity. It will effectively work as a tool for the economic development of places up the state, authorities said.
For the latest travel news and updates, Follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin!
Also Read – H-1B Visa Registration For 2022 to Begin From March 1
