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Rights of the Child in the Context of Tourism (Hindi)  |
| December 01, 2012 |
| Across the globe, the development of tourism is raising questions as to who are its real beneficiaries... |
| Tiger Conservation Guidelines Do Not Promote Sustainable Tourism |
| October 16, 2012 |
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| The comprehensive guidelines for tiger conservation and tourism issued by... |
| Activists Write To Minister Against New Tiger Tourism Norms |
| October 02, 2012 |
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| Two members of a National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) panel set up to... |
| Eco-Tourism Guidelines Submitted In Court Misleading MoEF Panel Members |
| October 02, 2012 |
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| Two members of the panel set up by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to... |
| Caught In The Fire |
| August 25, 2012 |
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| Mobile phones were on vibrate mode and buzzing with... |
Houseboats - Tourists, a happy lot
February 06, 2011
Houseboats - Tourists, a happy lot
http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/Houseboats-Tourists-a-happy-lot/245544.html
6 February 2011
Sajimon P S, Alappuzha:
The houseboat operators who entered the trade in recent times with dreams of making a quick buck are not quite laughing all the way to the bank.
Suresh, a houseboat agent, says that operators are approaching him on a daily basis to sell off boats. "The calls I get are mostly from operators who entered the field only recently," he said. Recently, he brokered the sale of a houseboat for Rs 50 lakh. Biju Ullasan, general manager of Rainbow Cruises that owns 22 houseboats, tried to put things in perspective.
"A decade ago, a country boat (kettuvallom) could be converted into a traditional twobedroom houseboat at an investment of Rs 7 lakh. Now, the same process costs anywhere between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 70 lakh. The point is that RoI for those who once invested Rs 7 lakh and now Rs 70 lakh are no different," he said.
Tourists are happy though. ''We are able to charter houseboat cruises at really cheap rates. The first time I arrived with my friend from the Netherlands, we were offered a single bedroom houseboat for Rs 6000. When we approached some other operators, we were finally offered a boat for Rs 3,500," said Vrindha, a tourist who has taken out boat cruises in the Kerala backwaters twice recently.
The rates are dipping even further as there are many hapless boat operators who are willing to go as low as Rs 2,500 for a daylong cruise.
Houseboats - Tourists, a happy lot
http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/Houseboats-Tourists-a-happy-lot/245544.html
6 February 2011
Sajimon P S, Alappuzha:
The houseboat operators who entered the trade in recent times with dreams of making a quick buck are not quite laughing all the way to the bank.
Suresh, a houseboat agent, says that operators are approaching him on a daily basis to sell off boats. "The calls I get are mostly from operators who entered the field only recently," he said. Recently, he brokered the sale of a houseboat for Rs 50 lakh. Biju Ullasan, general manager of Rainbow Cruises that owns 22 houseboats, tried to put things in perspective.
"A decade ago, a country boat (kettuvallom) could be converted into a traditional twobedroom houseboat at an investment of Rs 7 lakh. Now, the same process costs anywhere between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 70 lakh. The point is that RoI for those who once invested Rs 7 lakh and now Rs 70 lakh are no different," he said.
Tourists are happy though. ''We are able to charter houseboat cruises at really cheap rates. The first time I arrived with my friend from the Netherlands, we were offered a single bedroom houseboat for Rs 6000. When we approached some other operators, we were finally offered a boat for Rs 3,500," said Vrindha, a tourist who has taken out boat cruises in the Kerala backwaters twice recently.
The rates are dipping even further as there are many hapless boat operators who are willing to go as low as Rs 2,500 for a daylong cruise.