Once ready for seamless commute, the expansive inland waterways of the State will be a game changer for tourism, with tourists getting to savour an entirely new experience, Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism) V. Venu said. It will open up a new product line, more so since cruising in Kerala is now mostly limited to short stretches, for a day or two. In most parts of the world, guests spend many days together aboard bigger vessels. The waterway will result in longer cruises, like a week-long trip on the Kovalam-Ponnani stretch. New, bigger vessels — a la floating hotels — could be introduced, he added.
A senior official who played a key role in reviving works on the State’s inland waterways said much more needed to be done to establish unhindered connectivity on the Kovalam-Bekal stretch. “Once realised, the 600-km inland waterway could become the world’s second biggest corridor, after a 1,000-km one in China. The State should have a standardised inland waterway on the Kovalam-Bekal stretch in three years. Emphasis ought to be given to clear bottlenecks, especially on stretches that total 26 km in the Malabar region. They can be cleared within a year,” he said.
In 2020, Kerala Waterways and Infrastructures Ltd. (KWIL) made a vision document on how the waterway ecosystem ought to be by 2050. A key element was ensuring that all boats operate on solar energy by that time. In addition, seaplanes could connect waterways in districts with high tourism potential like Alappuzha and Wayanad, the official said.
