T'puram: Overnight tours on houseboats are becoming boring for foreign tourists due to the inability to sail at night or the absence of anchoring spots that offer a space to relax and enjoy programmes. Travel and tour operators are seeing a decline in the number of foreigners who prefer to book an overnight houseboat tour. Though a sail along the vast lakes of Kochi, Alappuzha, and Kottayam offers a unique experience for first-timers, others feel they are stuck in rooms onboard the boats at night.
Since sailing is not allowed at night, houseboats are tied to a tree by the shore.Consequently, more tourists are opting for day tours, which last four to five hours, including a mid-lake lunch. The time spent sailing has shrunk over the years as most boats have a check-in time of 11.30am, with some pushing it back to 1pm. There are around 1,200 houseboats that operate in the backwaters and lakes of these three spots.
Operators said govt should take proactive steps to make houseboat tours innovative and attractive for tourists by relocating stake nets and offering more areas to sail and anchor at night. Though current day houseboats are designed to host conferences, business meetings, private functions and families with five-star interiors, the way tours are operated has not changed since the first modified kettuvallams started catering to tourists in the 70s.
Hrishikesh Sankar of India Destination Tours said the govt should take fishermen into confidence and try to relocate stake nets, allow lighting and offer more areas for houseboats to sail. There should be space for boats to anchor in the middle of the lake and space on the land to organize music programmes to keep tourists engaged during overnight tours. Earlier, such boats used to sail at night, he said.
Jobin K Akkarakalam of Kerala Houseboat Owners Federation said different houseboat operators offer different experiences. "We take tourists to experience the daily life of a village. Domestic tourists prefer a sail down the lake. The experience has changed for an inbound guest. The domestic traveller is also a bigger market. The temperature has increased so much over the last 30 years. Now, no foreign tourist would like to stay overnight," he said.
Foreign tourists want overnight tours. "Many who did not want to stay in a houseboat in the 2002-2007 window have now come saying they want to experience an overnight stay," he added.
Nevertheless, Kerala Tourism has not taken steps to make houseboat tours lively. A district tourism official said night tours are not allowed because boats disturb fishing nets and hence nothing was done.