Houseboat accidents spark concerns in Keralas much-touted tourism hubs
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A series of houseboat accidents across Alappuzha and Kottayam districts has triggered concerns over tourist safety and exposed serious regulatory lapses in Keralas iconic backwater tourism sector. On Wednesday, a family of four miraculously escaped after the houseboat they were staying in capsized at Kumarakom. All occupants were rescued safely. Experts are calling for urgent government intervention to curb illegal operators, enforce compliance, and strengthen safety protocols to save houseboat tourism - one of the states most iconic tourism products. This incident on Wednesday adds to the troubling pattern of mishaps reported in recent months. In September 2025, a moored houseboat sank at Cheepunkal due to suspected hull leakage. The vessel was later found to be operating without a valid licence. Earlier this month, another houseboat carrying two tourists and three crew members caught fire in the Alappuzha backwaters. The boat was completely gutted, but all five on board were evacuated in time. Industry stakeholders are blaming the apathy and inaction by the government for the growing accidents which are adversely impacting the backwater tourism sector. Unauthorised operations continue to flourish in Alappuzha and Kumarakom, even as the Kerala State Maritime Board struggles to implement the Inland Vessel Act and bring ageing houseboats under the new regulatory regime. The official data from the Kerala State Maritime Board shows that the Alappuzha Port registry alone has 942 houseboats, 597 shikaras, 360 motorboats, 314 speedboats and 22 ferries. However, according to the All Kerala House Boat Owners and Operators Samiti, more than 1,600 houseboats are currently operating in the backwaters. Nearly 75% of these houseboats are functioning without proper authorisation. Safety and rescue drills are almost non-existent, and awareness programmes for operators are rarely conducted. With no meaningful action from the government, our association has been forced to organise training sessions for workers in the houseboat industry, said Kevin Rozario, state secretary of the All Kerala House Boat Owners and Operators Samiti. He alleged that both the government and the Tourism Department remain totally inactive on the issue. We have repeatedly taken up these concerns with the government, but there has been no response. Houseboats and backwater tourism are part of the hospitality sector, yet the Tourism Department offers no support or training in hospitality for those employed in this segment. Tourism footfall has been declining year after year, and it is high time the government made concrete interventions to address these issues, he added. Officials of the Kerala State Maritime Board acknowledge that enforcement gaps have enabled illegal and unsafe vessels to operate freely. We are trying our best to bring the entire fleet under the Inland Vessel Act, 2021. Our enforcement teams conduct multiple inspections every month to curb illegal operations and issue registration and licences under the Act. Many of the houseboats involved in recent accidents lacked proper registration and licensing, an official said. Tourism industry experts stress that the state government must issue clear directives and make the Tourism Department more accountable in regulating the houseboat sector. The government should make NoC and classification from the Tourism Department mandatory for all houseboats, and the Maritime Board should issue licences only to boats that have this clearance. Houseboats are a hospitality product, and it is high time the department treated them as such, said tourism consultant Prasanth Vasudev, former deputy director of the Tourism Department. Series of accidents On Wednesday, a family of four escaped after the houseboat they were staying in capsized at Kumarakom. All occupants were rescued safely. Earlier this month, another houseboat carrying two tourists and three crew members caught fire in the Alappuzha backwaters. The boat was completely gutted, but all five on board were evacuated in time
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