THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tapping the potential of its long sea coast and network backwaters, canals and rivers, Kerala has embarked on a plan to promote leisure-water sporting linked to its fast emerging adventure and water tourism segments.
The state has asked the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS) in Goa to work out a detailed project report on this, Kerala Tourism Director Rani George said.
“We are expecting the report within two months. After that we will obtain the policy clearances and start its implementation in a step-by-step manner,” George said during an interaction with a group of journalists here.
The state’s assessment is that it has good scope for a wide range of water sporting like windsurfing, kayaking and canoing. Kerala’s ethnic sporting culture like snake boat racing could also be factored in to the plans.
These activities could be linked to houseboat tourism on the western side and the adventure tourism which has its focus on hill stations lying towards the eastern part of the state, which could offer comprehensive packages to foreign as well as domestic holidayers, Rani George said.
Set up by Indian Ministry of Tourism, NIWS is an ‘apex’ body for training, education, consultancy and research to promote leisure-water sporting segment in the country.
It covers a range of water sport disciplines such as life saving, boat handling, sailing, windsurfing, water skiing, scuba diving, river rafting and kayaking.
Apart from established water-front destinations in Kerala like Punnamada, Ashtamudi, Kumarakom and Bakel, more suitable spots would be identified for leisure-water sporting, she said.
Admitting that safety and pollution are two key concerns connected to water tourism, despite it being a vital sector, George said the government has decided to take some strong measures to tackle these problems effectively.
One such plan is to encourage local community to collect waste and litters thrown around by houseboats on a daily basis in major cruising water bodies like Vembabad Lake between Kochi and Alappuzha.
“For instance, some kind of raft could be used for this.
Its operators could be paid for the service they render and the material they collected could be disposed of safely or recycled,” she said.
On safety issues, which has again raised concern with recent death of four picnickers at Alappuzha, she said a meeting of officials and stake-holders would be held soon to work out a set of protocols to be strictly followed by house boat operators.
Holding that tourism in Kerala is keeping up its uptrend, she said wellness tourism with focus on Ayurveda will continue to be a prime area to be promoted abroad.
Apart from traditional markets like Britain, the state would be projected in countries like Sweden, Switzerland and Austria this year, Rani George added. -PTI
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