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Now, Kerala to introduce tourist submarine soon – India News – Webindia123.com: “Now, Kerala to introduce tourist submarine soon
Kochi | November 20, 2005 3:06:21 PM IST

After exploring the possibilities in the areas of Beach and Backwater tourism, the Government of Kerala is becoming more innovative The latest is first-ever submarine tourism; the project will soon become a reality in Kochi.

Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation (KINC) will come up with this exclusive tourist submarine, adding new feathers to its tourism potential. With this the tourists visiting Kochi will be able to have a glimpse of the varied colourful underwater flora and fauna. It will take a nominal amount of rupees 2,000 (about 45 dollars) per person for a 45 minutes unforgettable experience under seawater. ‘

This project will be a joint effort by the Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation and the Pioneer Underwater Tours. Experts from United Kingdom (UK) will be flown here to train Indians for this purpose. The UK-based Silvercast Submarines is building the vessel, costing approximately rupees 10 crore (about 2,186,276.85 dollars), for the company in Finland. There will be 10 dives, eight in the day and two after sunset.

‘This has the capacity of 24 passengers and two crew members. Initially, we plan to bring British officers to train us. They will be here with us for six months and our six submariners will be joining the fleet. They will be trained by the Britishers to operate the submarine,’ said K Bhaskaran, CEO, Pioneer Underwater Tours.

The tourist submarine is expected to be launched in December after getting clearance from the Director General of Shipping.

The KSINC would provide ferry and support boats to carry the passengers to the submarine, which will be anchored in the sea about seven nautical miles away from the coast.

According to K N Sateesh, Managing Director, Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation, ‘A regi”

agencyfaqs! > news & features > Go Goa, and keep the faith: “What I’ve Learned

Blind faith for better vision

“Faith is to believe what you do not yet see. The reward for this faith is to see what you believe.” Almost every religion in the world down the ages, every nursery book fairytale, every impossible achiever has reinforced this belief in some fashion or the other.

Enough to make you wonder if there’s some truth in it after all. Even a hardened marketer/ad person like me can sometimes get bowled over by the seemingly impossible. As I did a week ago.

Every year, around this time, I undertake a pilgrimage to Sabrimala. Those familiar with it will know that part of the ritual involves a pretty strenuous uphill climb, invariably through the inevitable Kerala downpour.

As luck would have it, the day before I was to leave I came down with an extremely bad cold, fever, ear ache…the entire package deal. I was dreading this gruelling 100-minute, drenched-to-the-bone, barefoot trek up a gravelly mountain path, shivering with fever! In fact, I nearly cancelled my trip but something made me carry on — call it faith, call it commitment… anything.

It was pouring in Kochi when I landed and it continued pouring on our onward journey, while I kept staring out of the car desperately wishing it would stop. But a Kerala downpour is not one that can easily be wished away! No, it rained relentlessly till we reached the banks of the Pamba River where we had to alight for our uphill trek. And then …it happened. Believe it or not, just as I opened the car door, the rains stopped. The sun actually came out.

It was such a miraculous moment for me that I couldn’t help believing that nature had paused a bit to give me a break. I trekked up in the warm sunshine, soaking in the rain-drenched beauty of Sabrimala. And the fine weather continued till we came downhill. I would like to believe that it was my faith that made it possible.

Faith never gives you its”

Khaleej Times Online: “Kerala firm on launching new airline

From our correspondent

25 November 2005

TRIVANDRUM — Kerala Government has decided to go ahead with the proposal to start a budget airline to Gulf destinations and also set up a fourth international airport at Kannur, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said his Cabinet had discussed the issues in detail and appointed a Cabinet sub-committee to come out with a report on the effective implementation of the Kannur airport project. The sub-committee comprising Finance Minister Vakkom Purushothaman, Revenue Minister K.M. Mani, Tourism Minister K.C. Venugopal, PWD Minister M.K. Muneer and Fisheries Minister Dominic Presentation was asked to submit a report on whether the airport should be taken up on BOT basis or adopt successful model of the Nedumbassery Airport near Cochin. The committee’s recommendations would come up before the next Cabinet meeting, he said.

In case of budget airline, the government would send the detailed project report submitted by Ernst & Young for vetting by the Finance Department. The report would be discussed at the next Cabinet meeting.

He said the state government was aware of inspired reports originating from New Delhi on perceived objections by the Federal Government towards the budget airline. Kerala Government was to request the Federal Government formally to give three exemptions from regulatory guidelines for the airlines to fly abroad.

Asked about the reports that the Federal Government was not willing to relax the norms, Chandy said the reports were on the basis of informal discussions in the Civil Aviation Ministry.”

Khaleej Times Online: “A fishing hamlet becomes a tourist hot spot

Kerala Newsletter by T. K. Devasia

28 November 2005

MAHATMA Gandhi saw village as the centre of economic development of the country. Kerala Tourism has sought to implement the vision of the Father of the Nation by tapping the tourism potential of a village in the state.

Kumbalangi, a fishing hamlet that the department selected for wooing tourists, has made the marks within a couple of years. The obscure village 15km off the port city of Cochin, has stepped into tourism circuit as the first model tourist village in the country.

The Kumbalangi Integrated Tourism Project, launched in the village in 2003, has changed the life of the people and the face of the area. The local people, who were familiar with only fishing and related activities, are today capable of hosting people from all over the world.

The project has benefited the people because the big players in the industry were not allowed to hijack it. When the project was put in motion, they had come up with fancy plans like building cottages, walkways, convention centres, recreational facilities etc.

But the village council, which was entrusted with the task of implementing the project, evolved their own strategy with the twin objective of creating job opportunities for the villagers and offering the best of the village life to the tourists.

There is no dearth of resources in the village to attract tourists. The seven-square km village with a population of 30,000 is a veritable treat to its visitors with the famous Chinese fishing nets, boat building and masonry, manually operated coir looms, fish farms and many other sights to savour besides rich culture and heritage of the place.

Tourists can work with the community on all it does, including rowing the country canoes, catching fish or climbing coconut trees. Tourists savour the auth”

Dose of Kerala at World Travel Mart – Newindpress.com: “Dose of Kerala at World Travel Mart
Saturday November 26 2005 11:08 IST

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was a unique event at the recently concluded World Travel Mart in London, when Union Minister for Tourism, Renuka Chowdhary released the Kerala Medical Tourism Brochure.

The brochure was brought out by Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) and Great India Tour Company.

Renuka Chowdhary handed over a copy of the brochure to Tourism Secretary A.K. Mishra. E.M. Najeeb, Executive Director of KIMS hospital, Ajit Gunewardane, Joint Managing Director of John Keells Holdings and A.G.K. Kumar, Chief Operating Officer of Great India Tour Company were also present.

Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Thiruvananthapuram is one of the pioneers in promoting treatment related tourism in India.

This is for the first time that Kerala is promoting medical tourism in the World Travel Mart.

The World Travel Mart was held from November 6 to November 9 in London. The Travel Mart was visited by nearly 49,000 people.

Apart from Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences, a number of tourist resorts and hotels in Kerala including Thapovan heritage resort and Ayurmana Ayurvedic spa were represented at the Travel Mart.”