he Kerala State Water Transport Department is venturing into the tourism field by starting a project, �See Kuttanad, aimed at luring foreign tourists to the interiors of the water-locked Kuttanad.
As part of the initiative, KSWTD will ply two double-decker boats through Kuttanad from the Alappuzha boat jetty as a circular service for tourists. While the lower deck of the boat can be used by daily commuters for normal charges, travellers on the upper deck, meant exclusively for tourists, would invite a s p e c i a l charge.
The boats will take the holiday-makers to every nook and cranny of Kuttanad and the paddyfields below the sea level where cultivation is being carried out.
KSWTD director Shaji V Nair told Express on Monday that discussions in this regard were on and the project would take off once the State Government allots the boats. The project will be a blessing for daily commuters as well as they would get trips in addition to the existing ones.
It is the success of recentlylaunched tourism boat service between Kollam and Alappuzha that inspired the department to start more tourism-oriented projects covering Kuttanad. �We�ve been getting an awesome response for the Kollam- Alappuzha service and the department�s recently-launched website, Nair said. KSWTD now plans to popularise the Kollam-Alappuzha service with the help of Tourism and Education departments and tour operators. Special package s for school students on the Kollam� Alappuzha service have also been formulated, he added.
