Alappuzha, 28 Sept (H.S.): A journey through Kerala’s backwaters moves at a different pace from the rest of a holiday. A houseboat slips past coconut groves, paddy fields and waterside homes while meals are prepared on board. For visitors, it is a chance to spend a day or a night on the water. For Kerala, it is one of the experiences that has made the state’s tourism industry recognisable around the world.
Alappuzha remains the best-known centre for houseboat cruises, with Kumarakom another major destination. The boats are part of a wider business that supports crews, cooks, boat builders, food suppliers, transport operators and travel agents. Visitors can choose anything from a short daytime cruise to an overnight stay, making the backwaters accessible to families on different budgets as well as travellers seeking a luxury holiday.
The market surrounding houseboats has grown alongside Kerala’s tourism sector. The state recorded 2,50,58,366 domestic tourist visits and 8,21,999 foreign tourist visits in 2025, a combined 2,58,80,365 visits. Domestic visits rose 12.64 per cent from 2024, while foreign visits increased 11.33 per cent. The figures count visits across Kerala; they do not indicate that every visitor took a houseboat cruise.
The financial scale is considerable. Kerala Tourism estimated total travel receipts from domestic and foreign visitors at ₹50,702.34 crore in 2025, up from ₹45,053.61 crore in 2024. Receipts attributed to foreign tourist visits were ₹7,382.02 crore. These are statewide tourism estimates, covering accommodation, travel and other spending. They should not be presented as houseboat turnover: the published figures do not give a separate annual revenue total for the houseboat industry.
The backwater districts’ visitor numbers show the size of the potential market. Alappuzha district recorded 8,64,288 domestic and 68,630 foreign tourist visits in 2025. Kottayam district, which includes Kumarakom, recorded 7,04,822 domestic and 67,154 foreign visits. At the destination level, Kerala Tourism listed 5,50,843 domestic visits to Alappuzha and 4,54,328 to Kumarakom. Kumarakom also drew 63,394 foreign visits, while Alappuzha recorded 45,566. These destination counts likewise cover all visitors, rather than houseboat passengers alone.
Indian travellers now account for the overwhelming majority of visits to Kerala. Residents of the state made up 68.33 per cent of its domestic tourist visits in 2025, followed by visitors from Tamil Nadu at 11.19 per cent and Karnataka at 6.46 per cent. Among overseas markets, the United Kingdom and the United States contributed the largest shares. The mix gives operators a broad customer base, but also requires them to serve travellers with different expectations about trip length, price and facilities.
Growth brings a harder question: how many boats can the backwaters sustain without damaging the setting that attracts visitors? Sewage disposal, other waste, engine use and congestion all affect the waterways and the communities living beside them. Kerala Tourism’s houseboat classification scheme sets standards for construction, service, safety and waste management. The Kerala Maritime Board says inland vessels are subject to registration, inspection and maintenance requirements. Applying those standards consistently will matter as much as promoting new cruises.
Houseboats give Kerala a way to turn its waterways into visitor spending and local work. The state’s latest figures confirm the strength of the wider tourism market, while leaving the precise size of houseboat revenue and passenger traffic unclear. Better reporting of those two measures would help operators and authorities judge how the business is growing—and whether the backwaters can carry that growth.
Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
