A volunteer demonstrates jet ski ride near Puri beach. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 16: Holidaying in Puri will be far more fun with jet skiing and banana boat rides adding to the excitement of tourists.

The holy town made famous by the 12th century shrine of Lord Jagannath and its golden beaches is set to emerge as a major water sports destination.

Sources said that apart from jet skis (a high-speed motorbike on water), banana boats (speed boats pulling an inflatable tube resembling the fruit), the beach town will also offer bumper rides in the sea on floating sofas and all-terrain bike (ATB), the specialised ones for beaches.

A hovercraft service is also likely to be introduced shortly.

While jet skis and banana rides will be available on the beachfront between the lighthouse and the Mangala river, the hovercraft will operate between Panthanivas in Puri and the Ramchandi beach near Konark.

“Adventure sports such as jet skiing, banana boats, bumper rides, speedboats and ATBs are being introduced by a private operator selected through the single-window clearance system. The operator of the hovercraft was selected but it needs statutory clearances from several agencies and it will start once the clearances are obtained. It will take a month or two,’’ tourism minister Ashok Chandra Panda told The Telegraph.

Panda said the state government was keen to give Puri an image makeover.

“The world must know that a visit to the town is not just about a divine dip in the Mahodadhi (grand ocean), a visit to the Jagannath temple and the annual car festival. We want to promote adventure sports in a big way, so that tourists from all parts of the country and abroad come calling,” he said.

Puri tourist officer Bijay Jena said Sagar Adventure, a company from Bhubaneswar would introduce the hovercraft between Ramchandi and Panthanivas in Puri covering a distance of 28 to 30km. “The tourism department, however, has asked the operator to have clearances from the pollution control board and forest department. It has already have other clearances ready with it,” he said.

Sun Burn Retreat Private Ltd, a Bhubaneswar-based company, will organise most of the adventure sports activities on the Puri beach within the permitted area of 2km.

The company, among others things, will provide the necessary gear to those opting to go for the sports. The company has organised two public demonstrations in Puri over the past week, evoking the tourists’ interest.

Project manager of the company Pokal Harry Rao, who is from Puri, said: “We have obtained the necessary permission from the district administration. Water sports activities will begin with tourists mainly from Bengal on our radar.”

Rao said the tourists visiting Puri would have to pay less to enjoy water sports activities as compared to places such as Goa, where a single jet ski ride costs anything between Rs 500 and Rs 700 and a banana boat ride around Rs 250.

“By introducing adventure sports in Puri, we are going to attract tourists also from Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and other central Indian states,” said Rao.

The company has 17 experts, and seven of them are well-trained lifeguards. The firm has gadgets such as powerful walkie-talkies, world-class life jackets and rescue tubes. The company wants to promote Puri as one of the safest places on the Indian coast for water sports.

“We want to disprove the myth that Puri beach has become dangerous for swimmers and lovers of adventure sports. With well-trained lifeguards, we are sure we can turn the town into a major water sports destination,” said Rao.