Kerala's houseboats

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A romantic night on the majestic backwaters of Alappuzha in a one-bedroom houseboat could be a winning ad line to attract the niche group of newly-weds. But houseboat operators in Kerala with an eye on the bottomline are now tapping businesses beyond what is provided by dreamy couples. The latest obsession appears to be sheer size of vessels as houseboat owners attempt to bite into the growing segments of confrences roup tours with vessels that feature multiple bedrooms and seating capacity for over 100 persons, with additional features thrown in. The Alappuzha-based CTN Agro and the Coir Group have added heat to the competition for sheer size, launching a six bedroom boat that also boasts of conference facilities for 150 persons, besides an open-to-air courtyard in the middle of the vessel. “We find a growing demand from group travellers who need more than a couple of rooms and from corporates who are looking for conference facilities for 100 or more executives. Besides, a larger number of rooms provides better economy in operations,” says Aria Holidays and Resorts advisor Sreekumar N. The firm operates the CTN Agro and Coir-promoted houseboat business . Mr Sreekumar says a healthy trend being witnessed in the houseboat business is the growing percentage of revenue contributed by the domestic travellers, adding that the majority of revenues presently come from domestic clients. Pulickattil Houseboats MD Tomy Pulickattil, who was the first to launch mega-sized houseboats with conferencing facilities, adds that the larger vessels are attracting both foreign and domestic clients meetings and conferences. Industry circles are also upbeat about smaller corporates and holiday groups opting for large houseboats. “There is a particularly growing interest among Tamil Nadu groups, besides smaller companies in Kerala itself, to discuss business and hold board meetings while enjoying a backwater cruise,” they explain. In 2007, foreign tourist arrivals to Kerala had touched 5.15 lakh, an increase of over 20% over the previous year.a