The Chunnambar Boat House managed by the Puducherry Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) has been teeming with tourists, thanks to ‘Kaanum Pongal’ and the extended weekend.
Tourists from various parts of the country, particularly Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, have been flocking to the boat house. There was a steady flow of visitors to the Chunnambar from 9 a.m. and it grew manifold by evening.
“Over 5,000 persons thronged the boat house for a ride against the average of 2,000 on weekdays. Revenue from tickets sale touched Rs.5 lakh in the last two days. On Saturday, the sale of tickets till 5 p.m. stood at Rs.5.5 lakh. The PTDC hopes to garner nearly Rs. 50 lakh alone this month against Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 30 lakh in any normal month,” an official in the Department of Tourism said.
However, tourism staff working at the boat house pointed out that revenue could be higher if there are more boats and staffers to operate them during the festive season.
At present, the boat house has two 40-seater boats and seven 20-seater boats, besides speed boats and a cruise boat.
The cruise boat ferries 100 persons across the backwaters to the Paradise Beach. Each trip lasts 20 minutes with tourists clamouring for a ride.
Improvement works
With the number of footfalls to Chunnambar steadily on the rise, the PTDC has taken up various improvement works on the Paradise Beach and the boat house at a cost of Rs.5 crore.
The construction of three additional jetties has been taken up to accommodate new boats.
Beautification of the boat house has also been taken up, including a lawn with open air seating for additional dining space, landscaping and a permanent paved pathway, the official said.
The beach promenade and other tourist spots in the city were flooded with tourists from Puducherry and the neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu who had gathered for ‘Kaanum Pongal.’
The heavy flow of people mostly from villages has added vibrancy to the town which was already filled with domestic and international tourists for the last few weeks.
The police had made elaborate security arrangements to prevent any untoward incident and put barricades at several points restricting entry of vehicles to the beach.
The steady flow of visitors from 9 a.m. grew manifold by evening
