A houseboat trip on the backwaters of Alappuzha or Kumarakom is billed as one of Keralas exotic tourism products. But the future may not be bright for the product.
For five days, nearly 650 houseboats did not ply due to a tiff between owners and employees over payments. The impasse ended Friday evening after the two parties had conciliatory talks with Tourism Minister A.P. Anilkumar, and the employees were given pay hikes.
The impasse began after CITU-backed Kerala House Boat and Resort Workers Union sought higher pay and perks before the annual review of wages.
