Boating to boost tourism at Peruvannamuzhi
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
In a bid to boost tourism, the Kozhikode district administration has decided to resume boating services at the Peruvannamuzhi reservoir and introduce a new boating service at Thonikadavu.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Tourism Management Committee held recently in the presence of District Collector M.S. Madhavikutty and Perambra MLA Fathima Thahiliya. Thonikadavu, a 15-acre land known as ‘Heart Island’, is located within the reservoir. The meeting decided to invite expressions of interest from boat operators to run the service at Thonikadavu. Solar-powered boats will be used to minimise pollution.
The meeting also decided to make temporary appointments required for the operation of the tourism facilities. A special meeting will be held soon to discuss the comprehensive development of the destination.
Boating through the reservoir, which has 13 islets, is envisaged as a key attraction in efforts to develop Peruvannamuzhi as a major tourism destination.
“Boating will offer visitors an opportunity to experience the reservoir, its islets and the surrounding forested landscape. The idea is to develop Peruvannamuzhi as a major tourism destination by leveraging its natural beauty, water resources and potential for adventure tourism, particularly among young people,” said Ms. Thahiliya.
A ₹3.13-crore tourism development project was implemented at Peruvannamuzhi in 2021, with facilities, including a children’s park.
Two solar-powered boats were launched at the Peruvannamuzhi ecotourism spot in 2022, helping to increase tourist footfall and generate revenue.
The service was initially suspended during the heavy rains in the 2024 monsoon and has remained stalled since then. Sources said it had been stopped following an engine failure. Despite several notices issued by the Irrigation department to resume the service, the operator failed to restart it.
The prolonged suspension has deprived visitors of one of the destination’s major attractions, leaving them with little option but to visit the dam and return. It has also resulted in a loss of potential revenue.
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
