• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Our Bureau

Kochi June 13 The State-owned Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation has officially launched its tourist boat - Lake Palace - which is ideally suited for long trips in the backwaters.

The boat is fully air-conditioned with comfortable accommodation for 40 passengers and its flexible seating plan gives drawing ambience to the vessel, Mr K.N. Satheesh, Managing Director, KSINC, said.

The company plans to operate the boat in regular cruise in the Kochi-Kumarakom- Alappuzha -Kollam route. The fares would be Rs 650 per person for a cruise between Kochi and Kumarakom.

According to Mr Satheesh, KSINC has emerged as a leading player in the backwater tourism in the State. The company, he said, had entered the tourism sector in 2000 with a coveted wooden boat mainly to supplement its ferry services. With the cessation of ferry services following the commissioning of the Goshree Bridges, tourism sector became one of the main activities of KSINC. Its erstwhile ferryboats are converted into tourist boats to cater to the increasing demands from tourists, he added.

KSINC is now concentrating in the upmarket tourism sector. Its vessels have become synonymous for luxurious cruises. The vessel Sagara Rani is the only vessel of its kind in Kerala, with permission to undertake cruises into the sea.

Meanwhile, KSINC has laid the keel for the construction of two 150 passenger capacity boats for Poompuhar Shipping Corporation, a Government of Tamil Nadu enterprise. Each boat, to be constructed at Rs 105 lakh, would be 21 metres long, 6.30 metre in breadth and 80 metre in depth. The vessels are to be delivered by December this year.

More Stories on : Tourism | Shipping | Kerala

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Rains hit train services

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line