Mangalore: Floating restaurant receives good response

TNN

Mangalore, 30 April 2012: Tourism received a much needed boost in the region with the state’s first floating restaurant launched in the coastal city on Sunday.

 

The inaugural cruise of 20 minutes was attended by more than 250 people. The official three-hour cruise, which was scheduled to start at 7.30, commenced after hal- an-hour at 8 pm due to some technical snag on Sunday. It ended at 11 pm. The guests were served delectable local delicacies and barbequed items.

 

 

JP Rao, one of the partners of the venture said, "We will add more varieties on the menu in the coming days. The USP of the venture is that the floating restaurant provides a splendid family outing opportunity.’’

 

Charan K, who had come to the venue out of curiosity, was all praise for the restaurant. He said that the city needed something like this to attract tourists and to give something innovative to the bored crowd pining for new. "Though Rs 250 for the three-hour cruise, excluding food, is acceptable by any standards for a single person, the rates should be lowered for families as the combined fare may act as a deterrent for a middle class family,’’ he added.

 

Former minister Krishna Palemar told TOI, "The venture will boost the tourism industry in the region. Both entrepreneurs as well as people had a doubt on the venture’s reception by the public. However, the response that the hotel evoked will wipe out their skepticism."

 

On the allegations that the state government is not promoting tourism in this region, Palemar said that not much has been done by the state government in this regard. "When Janardhan Reddy was the tourism minister, we tried to promote backwater tourism which did not take off. I have spoken to chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda when I met him last week for funds to boost tourism here and he has agreed to it,’’ he added.