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Apart from the houseboat cruise and picturesque backwaters, Alappuzha popularly known as the 'Venice of the East' will soon turn to be Kerala's new heritage site. The recently sanctioned heritage project for Alappuzha aims at the conservation and preservation of existing heritage monuments and buildings. The project would also have a maintenance action plan for historic canals like Commercial Canal, thereby creating new water circuits between the backwaters of Kuttanad and the canals. The project would also introduce canal cruises showcasing the handicrafts and Alappuzha's age-old coir factories.
The project also includes the development of Alappuzha port, now defunct, into a marina. The port was the first commercial port in the princely state of Travancore.
To get approval for the heritage project from the Union Government, the State Government has submitted another project named The Alappuzha Tourism Circuit Project. This Rs.500 million mega tourism project aims at popularizing tourist spots in the district from Aroor to Kayamkulam, developing infrastructure to attract tourists and events like Kayamkulam boat race. The project also aims at the setting up of restaurants and recreation zones and opening of boating facilities and curio shops at various locations within the district.