A boat race styled on the IPL and a glass bridge 3,500ft above sea level are some of the new attractions in God’s own Country.
Kerala, popular for its backwaters, houseboats, beaches and rubber plantations, has been promoting newer attractions after the pandemic.
“The Champions Boat League, modelled on the IPL, is a visual feast. It will give tourists an unforgettable experience,” Sooraj P.K., information officer of the department of tourism in Kerala, said in Calcutta on Tuesday.
Kerala received 1.88 crore domestic tourists in 2022. The pre-pandemic number was around 1.5 crore, said officials.
But the footfall of foreign tourists has yet to reach the pre-pandemic stage, they said.
Bengal sends a good number of visitors to Kerala every year, said Sooraj. Last year, around 1.25 lakh people from Bengal visited Kerala.
Panned out in the emerald backwaters across Kerala, the boat league sees ornate snake boats (Chundan Vallam), each powered by scores of rowers, racing one another.
“The main objective of this annual sporting event is to make Kerala popular among travellers across the world and to aggrandise Kerala’s traditional festivals,” says the Kerala tourism website.
“The event starts on September 16 and ends on December 9,” said Sooraj.
Another new attraction in the southern state is a cantilever glass bridge at an altitude of nearly 3,500 ft from sea level.
The 40m-long bridge in Vagamon, in the picturesque hill station in Idukki district, offers visitors a rare view. The bridge was inaugurated last week.
“Recent trends show that Kerala has turned out to be a glamorous wedding destination as well,” the organisers said.
“The houseboats, caravan stays, jungle lodges, plantation visits, homestays, Ayurveda-based wellness solutions, countryside walks and adventure activities are very much there. But we want to promote newer attractions as well,” said Sooraj.
Kerala has four airports, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Calicut and Kannur. Of these, Calcutta is best connected with the first two.
