Houseboat services to be regulated

Minister for Tourism Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said on Wednesday that a
regulatory frame work would be introduced to check the operation of
houseboats. He was replying to the debate on the demand for grants for
tourism in the Assembly. Boating facilities, he said, would be
introduced in various parts of the State with the participation of the
private sector. Alappuzha would be developed as a heritage town. Mr.
Balakrishnan said a working group had been set up to steer Kerala's
tourism industry in tune with global trends. It would look into the
recessionary conditions and identify areas where Kerala could make
gains. The Kerala Shopping Festival would be organised this year also
to turn Kerala into a trade and shopping destination. He said
development activities carried out in the tourism sector during the
past three years had achieved their objectives. Tourism destination
councils had been set up at 35 destinations to oversee comprehensive
development. The government was planning heavy investments in the
tourism sector. As much as Rs.421 crore would be spent on the
development of the sector this year, including Rs.293 crore earmarked
in the State Budget. Of this, Rs.135 crore had been set apart for
Malabar tourism. After the Minister's reply, the House passed the
demand for grants for tourism as well as the demands for grants for
administration of justice, police and jails.

The Hindu, June 25