Kerala Plans Two-Day Coastal Cruise Through 590 KM Waterway
Imagine a cruise tour through Kerala’s beautiful waterways, stretching from Kovalam in the south to Bekal in the north. The state government is planning to launch a two-day cruise journey along the 590-kilometer-long West Coast Canal, with a specially designed AC cruise vessel currently under construction.
A 21-seater electric boat is expected to be ready by the end of this year when the first phase of the waterway project, covering 235 kilometers from Akkulam in Thiruvananthapuram to Chettuva in Thrissur, is commissioned. If all goes as planned, services to Chettuva are set to begin this year, with plans to gradually extend the journey as the project progresses.
Authorities anticipate that this cruise project will attract a large number of tourists, especially foreign visitors, drawing them to Kerala’s stunning coastline like never before.
The West Coast Canal project involves developing a 590-kilometer-long canal system parallel to the state’s coastline from Kovalam to Bekal.
Designed to connect Kerala’s backwaters and rivers, this project aims for completion by 2028, with the goal of improving transportation, trade, and tourism in the state. Although the project began in 2006 with a grant of ₹225 crore, it remained stalled for over a decade. Finally, in 2018, it was revived and decided to be implemented in three phases.