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Kerala
Houseboats sailing into green zone
Our Bureau
Kochi, July 2
The Kerala houseboat industry, which was hit by the global economic recession, is on the recovery path.
Occupancy levels which were down in most houseboats because of dwindling domestic and foreign tourist arrivals, have begun to pick up this year. A huge overcapacity in the industry is also forcing a large number of boats to lie idle. Alappuzha district alone has about 1000 boats today, Mr George M. George, Executive Director, Muthoot Hospitality Services Division, said.
Addressing a press conference, Mr George said that his houseboat division was less impacted as Muthoot Backwater Cruises had been focusing on domestic tourists. The presence of marketing offices in some important upcountry centres had also helped the division to tide over the crisis. The occupancy levels at the Backwater Cruises division stood at 65 per cent, Mr George said.
Ecocell Plant
Fulfilling a long-felt need of the industry, the Muthoot Backwater Cruises has set up the first Ecocell Plant for purifying and recycling the waste water generated from houseboats. The plant has a capacity to treat 10,000 litres of drainage and other wastes from houseboats daily and the facility was open to other houseboats in Alappuzha as well. Over and above the 10 houseboats operated by Muthoot group, there is sufficient capacity at the plant to service the needs of other boats also, Mr George said.
While the houseboat had become the popular motif of Kerala tourism, proliferation in their numbers and lack of adequate pollution control measures are posing a threat to the houseboat industry in the State. All the boats operated by the Muthoot Group had obtained the Gold Star rating and Green Palm certification from the government, Mr George said.
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