Kerala will soon open up its coast and plentiful waterways to aircraft that can land and take off from both land and water. The southern state, whose economy thrives on earnings from tourism, has set aside Rs 12 crore for developing landing and staging spots, as well as other required infrastructure, to operate amphibious planes, or seaplanes, in 22 tourist destinations, according to Suman Billa, the state's tourism secretary. Over seven lakh foreign and 93 lakh domestic tourists visited Kerala in 2011, helping the state earn about Rs 4,200 crore in foreign exchange.
Tourism makes up for about 9% of its gross domestic product. "Kerala is perfect seaplane state," said Siddharth Verma, CEO of Maritime Energy Heli Air Services, or Mehair, which has been operating the only seaplane service in India in the Andaman and Nicobar islands since January 2011. "There are a number of water bodies, apart from the sea, like lakes, backwaters and dams, on which seaplanes can land and which allow easy access to numerous tourist spots." The state, which has 44 rivers flowing through it, has 1,895 km of inland waterways and a 590 km coastline. Also, unlike other states in India, Kerala's tourist spots are spread across the state.
25/09/12 Radhika P Nair/Economic Times
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Tourism makes up for about 9% of its gross domestic product. "Kerala is perfect seaplane state," said Siddharth Verma, CEO of Maritime Energy Heli Air Services, or Mehair, which has been operating the only seaplane service in India in the Andaman and Nicobar islands since January 2011. "There are a number of water bodies, apart from the sea, like lakes, backwaters and dams, on which seaplanes can land and which allow easy access to numerous tourist spots." The state, which has 44 rivers flowing through it, has 1,895 km of inland waterways and a 590 km coastline. Also, unlike other states in India, Kerala's tourist spots are spread across the state.
25/09/12 Radhika P Nair/Economic Times
