Malanad-Malabar river cruise project to help tourists enjoy a village experience

Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala inaugurated the Malanad-Malabar cruise tourism project worth Rs 325 crore at Parassinikkadavu near Kannur to highlight the tranquil waterways of Northern Kerala and encourage tourist arrivals to lesser-known destinations of the state. Kerala Tourism will implement this unique project in association with the state government.
Vijayan said, “This initiative will focus on improving the quality of tourism and make sure that all the visitors will have exceptional experiences. Tourists come in hopes of exploring our land’s rich natural resources and heritage. So it is important that we maintain and keep our culture intact while also accommodating all the required modern amenities in an eco-friendly manner in accordance with sustaining traditional occupations in Kasargod and Kannur districts.”
Kadakampally Surendran, Honorable Minister for Cooperation, Tourism and Devaswoms, Government of Kerala said, “We were unable to explore the tourism potential in North Malabar. With the commencement of this initiative that calls for an integrated plan, Malabar regions in the state will finally be able to expedite tourism opportunities. With the functioning of the Kannur International Airport, the cruise project would attract travel and adventure enthusiasts to the state. Within the last year 600 Crore has been allocated for North Malabar and a government order issued 75 crore for Kannur district and 12.5 crore for Kasargod district.”
The Malabar circuit will feature cruises based on the themes of its culture. While the martial arts and Kalari cruise on Mahe River will memorialise the origins of ‘Kalari’, the Pazhassi Raja and spices cruise on Anjarakkandy River will commemorate Pazhassi’s struggles.