Lack of basic infrastructure facilities in the Vizhinjam harbour is turning to be a major hurdle for luxury cruise liners arriving with holidayers from around the world to visit the tourist spots in and around the capital.

Dilapidated building of the wharf, unhygienic surroundings, overcrowded fishing boats and catamarans and hostile locals greet the foreign tourists disembarking here. Official sources said the present building at the wharf does not even have a foundation; it is just a shed.

The customs and immigration authorities had to depend on the small boats or inflated boats provided by the luxury liners to reach the vessel that anchor five to six nautical miles off the harbour. The only solace is the medium boat hired by the marine police for patrolling the sea.

M.V. Ocean Odyssey, the luxury liner that arrived at Vizhinjam on Tuesday with 36 foreign tourists, had to return even without the mandatory inspection by Customs and Immigration officials. The inflated boat that tried to ferry the officials to the vessel had to return to the harbour as the sea was rough.

Ravi Nair of J. N. Baxi and Co, the handling agents for the vessel, said they had to remit over Rs.14,000 as port dues and overtime although tourists did not disembark. Forget cruise terminal, there is not even a good approach road to the wharf. Both the sides of the nearly one-km winding road from Vizhinjam are dumped with fishing gear and reaching the wharf is a Herculean task for motorists.

Lack of street lights, toilets and absence of communication facilities are the other hurdles facing the tourists disembarking here. Once night falls, the wharf and surrounding areas, which are not fenced, are a haven for anti-social activities. Lack of security cover for the wharf is another major problem that the port authorities face.

Big cruise liners cannot berth at the wharf as it can accommodate only vessels up to a length of 80 metres. It is with difficulty that cruise liner M. V. Hebridean Spirit, having a length of 91 metres and a draft of 4. 35 metres, was brought to the wharf.

M.V. Ocean Odyssey is to arrive every fortnight at Vizhinjam till April next and another luxury liner M.V. Black Watch is to arrive in March 2008. The proximity to Padmanabhapuram Palace, Kanya Kumari, Neyyar Dam, Ponmudi, Kovalam and the capital city is what makes Vizhinjam a favourite place for cruise liners.

Varghese Oommen, managing director of Destination Indus, who had toiled to bring many cruise liners, says close proximity of Vizhinjam to Colombo and international waterway offers immense scope for cruise tourism. “Many big cruise liners are interested in berthing here. But, lack of facilities is preventing many of them,” he adds.

Source:The Hindu