the city has turned into a centre of cultural diversity with people from various parts of the country as part of the nyf 2012 now it is gearing up to promote tourismrelated activities too people now have the opportunity to cruise along the gurupur river through the boat service which was launched at sultan battery on saturday the visitors can not only enjoy the natural beauty but also have mouthwatering delicacies on board on the 20km voyage of the river which is adjacent to the mangalore coast and this comes at a cost of rs 150 per head the crew members serve delicacies of mangalore kerala goa north and south india based on tourists demand owner charandas v karkera told toi that soft drink and a snack pack will be served free of cost while all other food will be charged charandas has brought two boats of 48x40 sqft from sharjah one boat has the capacity to ferry 46 tourists while the other can take 38 tourists the response from people is very good on the very first day as many as 87 people sailed in two boats in the first trip which was flagged off by district minister j krishna palemar more people are expected to enjoy the cruise in the days to come he hoped many artistes and visitors made use of the opportunity to sail along the serene coast it was really a thrilling experience to sail on the river here said vikas singh a visitor from pune nyf organizers are also announcing about the boats at all programme venues to attract the visitors to sultan battery in fact the cruise will be a permanent tourism attraction in mangalore the district administration has already given the nod to operate the boats on the river