Clouds of uncertainty further thickened over the scenic backwaters of Alappuzha as the soaring inflation sucker-punched the pandemic-stressed houseboat industry.
Houseboats, the mascot of Kerala Tourism, have faced numerous knock-backs in recent years in the form of Cyclone Ockhi, the Nipah outbreak and back-to-back floods. The vessels that had ceased chugging across Vembanad Lake since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020 remained anchored for several months. The sector, which has seen the first signs of revival of late, is being propelled back into uncharted waters with the rising prices of fuels and essentials.
