Uttara Kannada district is going to start boating facilities for tourism

Soon, boating in Karnataka could be a regular tourist attraction if all goes according to plan. The Uttara Kannada district administration is planning to introduce boating facilities at its ports and rivers, taking after Kerala. Currently, the district of Uttara Kannada does not have a systematic boating facility for tourists.
Boating facilities in the district is only restricted to taking fishing boats that cost a lot of money, and these boats are not well-equipped, lacking facilities for tourists. Certain places such as Karwar, Murdeshwar, and Gokarna have small tourist boats; but then, these are not regularly operated. Now, all of this can change, as the Uttara Kannada district administration is looking to discuss with other departments regarding the availability of boats for tourists as its demand rises steadily.


According to reports, the district administration has begun talks with the Port Department to seek permission for the use of their jetties so as to convert them into boating points. The port authorities currently own jetties at eight places in the district, including Karwar and Belekeri. These jetties can be used by the licensed private operators once the district administration selects them. Boating facility to tourists will be granted after the deal gets fixed and investors are decided.
Reports suggest that local investors would be given first priority, but only those who can ensure safety measures will be considered. However, the ports will be taking licence fee and maintenance charges.

It is believed that boating facilities in the district will help boost tourism, and also add revenue to the ports. This will further help the district administration to create infrastructure to promote tourism in the region.