Keen to place itself on the global tourism map, Ezhumanthuruth, a picturesque village near Kallara in Kottayam, is now ready to welcome tourists.
The Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission, Kerala, has come up with a tourism package specifically for the village, which envisages a ride along the Kariyar stream on board the shikara boats operated by the Ezhumanthuruthu Tourism Club . These boats will take the visitors to the tourism units run by the RT Mission through Ezhumanthuruth and Mundar and offer them a chance to experience rural life through ethnic cuisine and cultural programmes.
The visitors will be offered a chance to prepare ethnic cuisine on their own and try a hand in local handicrafts such as coir spinning , mat weaving or even fishing.
According to K. Rupesh Kumar, coordinator, RT Mission, the package involves massive local participation and seek to maintain a balance between the guests and the local community. The development of tourism in the villages is expected to raise the length of stay of the visitors and thus benefit the state's hospitality sector.
Besides Ezhumanthuruth, the local bodies of Neendoor and Arpookkara too have kick-started similar programmes to ensure a place on the global tourism map.
