Tourists flock to Alappuzha to cheer NTBR

ALAPPUZHA: The tourists have begun flocking to Alappuzha to witness the Nehru Trophy Boat Race to be held at  Punnamada lake  on Saturday, August 13.  Tickets worth  Rs 10 lakh have already been sold for the event. The bookings in the main hotels and resorts are  in full swing. The NTBR Society and the District Tourism Promotion Council, the organisers, have begun online ticket sale as well. At least 1,000 high-priced tickets, including Gold and Silver,  will be sold  
in this edition.

The DTPC has been busy preparing the facilities for the tourists. The  boat operators expect  a good flow of North Indian tourists.  Switten George, a tour operator,   says  solo or family tourists are currently coming here.  “There’re many bookings and we are  getting several enquiries,” he says and adds that mainly tourists from Europe were arriving to watch the boat race.    

E. Subairkutty, DTPC secretary in-charge,  said a special boat facility from the town to the boat race venue would be arranged for  the tourists. A special online ticket sale was  introduced and booking centre opened at DTPC office. The  Kerala Tourism website also provides  the details on NTBR.  An information centre has been set at the DTPC office here, he said.  

There were many campaigns, road shows, advertisements and TV programmes across  Europe by the tourism department about the boat race and the backwaters.    “Last year, there was a good flow of foreign tourists to watch the boat race. We hope for the same  this season also,”  says Binu Sebastian, a local tour operator, “Tourists come to Alappuzha round the year. The number of domestic tourists is also on the rise.  For this season, our expectations are high,” he adds.