The State Department of Tourism on Thursday signed an MoU with Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) to acquire technical support in planning and developing diverse water tourism and recreation products.
Besides Chilika lake, the State boasts a 482 km coastline and eight major reservoirs, several other pristine water bodies where surveys have ascertained the feasibility of setting up sustainable water sports and recreation and tourism products such as houseboats.
In July last year, the Department of Tourism had organised FAM (familiarisation) trips for houseboat and water sports operators and investors from across the country to prominent destinations such as Chilika and Tampara lakes, Bhirarkanika, Gopalpur sea beach, etc. Since then, the State has received several single window proposals in the segment, and five water sports projects have been operationalised since – at Tampara, Gopalpur, Barkul, Chandrabhaga and Naraj (Cuttack). The department has also floated tenders for the operation and management of floating restaurants at select locations in Chilika lake.
Following the signing of the MoU, KSINC’s technical team is scheduled to conduct an extensive field trip and submit preliminary technical reports to Government of Odisha.
