Taking note of the potential for village tourism in the district, the State government has embarked on a plan to develop Kottayam as the hub of sustainable tourism in Kerala.
Responsible Tourism
Addressing a meeting of tourism stakeholders in the district recently, Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas said the plan envisaged identifying at least one tourism destination in each local body and developing these locations by adopting Responsible Tourism.
The district, which comprises renowned rural destinations such as Kumarakom, Aymanam and Vaikom, holds a huge potential for tourism development, he added.
The development of village tourism, according to him, will offer new experiences to travellers , besides ensuring growth of the rural economy. The sector’s expansion will be in strict line with the sustainable development agenda of the UN World Tourism Organisation.
As part of the initiative, the Minister is slated to convene a meeting to review the tourism projects in Kottayam on July 18. This will be followed by meetings of elected representatives of local bodies within July 30 to identify the new projects.
K.Rupesh Kumar, State coordinator of the Responsible Tourism Mission, G.Sreekumar, deputy director of the Tourism Department, and Bindu Nair, secretary of the District Tourism Promotion Council, attended the meeting.
