Another stepping stone for tourism in Kollam, Newsbytes, Kerala Tourism

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

ISSUE: 182

OCTOBER 2008

Another stepping stone for tourism in Kollam

Kollam is well known as the land of backwaters. A new destination has been added to the tourist attractions in Kollam, with Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Minister for Tourism, inaugurating the new water sports centre here, near the Kochupilamood T. S. Canal.The centre which took almost 16 months to complete, is a joint venture of Kerala Tourism and the Inland Navigation Department.

The water sports centre offers a variety of facilities, including pedal, rowing and safari boats. Backwater trips to Ashtamudi Lake and Eravipuram Lake are now available for the visitors to Kollam. It is expected that with the formation of Kollam - Kovalam state waterways in 2010, backwater cruises would become an actuality and private tourism enterprises can also have active participation.

Dr. Venu V., Secretary, Kerala Tourism, has said that the backwater tourism has great potential in the tourism industry of the state. He has also indicated the visionary steps that would be initiated by Kerala Tourism to exploit all the possibilities of the vast and scenic waterbodies of Kerala, especially those in Kollam and Alappuzha.