Backwater tourism: Kayaking still remains untapped

ALAPPUZHA: Though a new tourism season is all set to start, the potential of Kayaking in Alappuzha remains untapped by tourism authorities.

The flow of tourists from various European countries has already created a momentum in backwater-Kayaking here.

Binu Joseph, owner of Kerala Kayaking, says they had conducted Kayaking on Punnamada Lake and interior parts of Kuttanad successfully for the last three years.

Most of the European countries have no facility for kayaking on backwaters. 

Alappuzha has many small canals attached to Punnamada Lake which is a huge advantage.

The presence of Salvenia at the narrow canals is the main hurdle for Kayaking tourism in Alappuzha.

Kayaking will become easier and more fun if canals are kept clean” he said.

The lack of awareness and infrastructure has been another reason for the decline in Kayaking.

Mr Jolly Thomas, Commodore, Kerala Watersports and Sailing Organization (KWSO), who led the three-day expedition from Punnamada to Ernakulam last August, says the government of Kerala had not fully understood the potential of Alappuzha.

“The main intention of the expedition was to make the government aware of the potential of kayaking and Yachting which are sporting events in the 35th National Games. It is high time Kerala tourism comes up with an aggressive campaign to promote Kayaking as a leisure sport   among tourists”, he says.

According to Tourism department data, over 8.58 lakh foreign tourists visited Kerala in 2013, marking a growth of 8.12 per cent over last year.

Foreign tourist arrivals went up from over 7.94 lakh in 2012 to over 8.58 lakh in 2013 registering an increase of 8.12 per cent. 

However, the government has no system to tap the potential of leisure-water sports like Kayaking to attract foreigners.

An Australian couple, Justin May and Lyoia Cheng, who did Kayaking on Punnamada Lake over four hours, said it was a fantastic and unique experience.

“I have visited more than 14 countries across the world and taken part in several kayaking expedition. The main significance of Alappuzha is its abundance of pristine backwaters. Kayaking tourism in other countries is attached to beach tourism. But here, this is entirely different due to the presence of backwaters. It’s indeed a novel experience to me having carried out Kayaking through narrow canals. We met residents on both sides of the canals during our journey. The people were very cooperative and hope Kayaking tourism will soon be most sought after in Alappuzha,” Mr May, from Perth, says.