THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For adventure-loving tourists, a ride on the speedboat at Kovalam is the ultimate thrill. However, the recent fall in the number of tourists visiting the beach have affected the speedboat tourism here.

"We received permission to take our boats out by October 20. The tourism season was supposed to start in October 15. Now, it's nearing the end of November and the season is yet to pick up. It seems our wait has been in vain," said Ansari, a speedboat owner.

Boat owners attribute the reduced tourist footfall to the Kerala floods, the Sabarimala row over women entry. The lack of initiative by the government agencies to prepare before hand for the tourist season, including the ongoing work of the PWD which is making entry to the Kovalam beach a difficulty, is yet another reason they are citing. "The PWD begins work only during the tourist season. Most of the taxi drivers are not willing to take the tourists to the beach as the roads are in a shambles," said Ansari.
However, according to Ansari, the Vizhinjam Port is helpful but the tourism department is yet to wake up to the demands of the public. There are two types of speedboat adventures for tourists.

"The first type of speedboat adventure starts from Kovalam to north of Hotel Leela Raviz. It is a 15-minute ride. The other one is from Kovalam to Vizhinjam harbour which takes about 30 minutes," said Pandidasan, a speedboat driver.According to him, only 35 per cent of the tourists visited Kovalam this year compared to last year. ''We lost more than 60 per cent of our income," Pandidasan said. Speedboat owners say that unlike scuba diving, speedboats are not included under adventure tourism or eco-tourism.

"This is why we are not receiving any benefits from the government. The boat engines rust easily when they come in contact with sea water. We need to replace them at regular intervals. It will be helpful if we are able to receive a loan or subsidy from the government," said Razak, another speed boat owner.
 District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) secretary K Shahul Hameed said speed boats are risky. "We need to conduct a detailed study on speed boat and its impact on tourism before we take up any measures on their behalf," he said.