On World Tourism Day, Kerala wins top national honours

Kochi, Sep 27 (IANS) On World Tourism Day, Kerala state’s Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative received two national awards for the Best RT Village and the Best Agri Tourism Village for the schemes it implemented at Kadalundi and Kumarakom respectively.

This is the second consecutive year that Kerala has received top honours of Tourism Village Awards instituted by the Union Ministry of Tourism after Kanthalloor in the Idukki district bagged the Gold Award last year.

The awards were presented by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in the presence of the Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar at a function held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Friday.

Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission (KRTM) Society has implemented a slew of initiatives as part of its STREET (Sustainable Tangible Responsible Experiential Ethnic Tourism) project at Kadalundi in Kozhikode district in collaboration with the Grama Panchayat.

The famed backwater destination Kumarakom in Kottayam district adjudged as the Best Agri Tourism Village, has been turned into a major farm-tourism destination through the schemes initiated by KRTM in partnership with the village panchayat.

“These awards clearly acknowledge that Kerala has set a successful model before the entire nation on how tourism is to be promoted by complying with sustainable and inclusive goals, which have become all the more relevant now,” said Kerala Tourism Minister P. A. Mohamed Riyas.

The RT initiatives in Kadalundi are being implemented as part of the comprehensive tourism project planned around Beypore.

A number of schemes to turn the area into a major Green Destination have been implemented at Kadalundi, which is one of the 10 STREET destinations across the state.

The projects were conceived and implemented with the participation of the local community, starting with the convening of the ‘special tourism grama sabha.’ This was followed by an awareness campaign, resource mapping, preparation of a resource directory and formulation of village life experience packages.

Globally renowned for its stunning scenic charm, lake-side Kumarakom has been one of the first RT destinations of Kerala.

A traditional agricultural belt with a vast expanse of paddy fields crisscrossed by canals, the farm tourism potential of the area has been tapped fully by the RT Mission by carrying out projects in a systematic fashion.

Visitors to Kumarakom are treated to a range of enjoyments such as a fishing experience, a farming experience and a day with a farmer, complete with a stroll through the green paddy fields.