Photo: Mathrubhumi Archives
Alappuzha: The houseboat service providers raised the charge for boat services following the hike in wages of employees. The owners said that a fare hike of 20 to 25 per cent is necessary to operate the houseboat services. The increase in fare for houseboat services will be a huge blow to the middle income travel groups.
The wage hike of the workers will adversely affect the mediocre houseboat service providers, who already strive to survive following the pandemic induced lockdown. The financial stress is likely to cause competition among houseboats.
The illegal houseboats without licences can operate by charging low fare. However, this will pose safety challenges.
Many of the large scale houseboat owners have decided to launch sharing services by offering big boats with as many as 10 rooms to many travel groups. This will help the passengers avail houseboat services at comparatively low cost. However, such trips may pose risk to the security of passengers.
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