Thiruvananthapuram: In top honours for Kerala, the 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 received top honours of Tourism Village Awards instituted by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India after Kanthalloor in the Idukki district bagged the Gold Award last year.
The awards were presented by Union Minister for Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at a function held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi today to mark the World Tourism Day. The awards were received by Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission (KRTM) Society CEO, K Rupeshkumar; Kadalundi Grama Panchayat President, Anusha V V; and Kumarakom Grama Panchayat President, Dhanya Sabu.
The KRTM Society has implemented several 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.
The RT initiatives in Kadalundi are being implemented as part of the comprehensive tourism project planned around Beypore. Several schemes to turn the area into a major Green Destination have been implemented at Kadalundi, one of the 10 STREET destinations across the state.
STREET aims at participatory tourism development based on the UNWTO’s motto, ‘Tourism for Inclusive Growth’ by developing destinations into theme-based streets and widening the area of tourism activities to reduce the tourist concentration in the main points.
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, all completed with a stroll through the green paddy fields.