KOTTAYAM:
A Central delegation comprising various officials paid a visit to Kumarakomto have a first-hand feel of the village life experience of the picturesque location. The visit was made on the backdrop of the Kumarakom being chosen as an Iconic Destination.
The delegation, comprising Rashmi Verma, Union Tourism Secretary; Suman Billa, Tourism Joint Secretary; Sanjay Shrivats, Regional Director (South); Bharti Sharma, Asst. Director General; Senthur Kumaran, Manager, India Tourism, Kochi; Drashana Mali, PMC, and NirajBhan, PMC; travelled across various spots known for its tourism and responsible tourism initiatives.
Kerala’s Tourism Secretary Rani George; Kerala Tourism Additional Director Jafar Malik; Kerala Tourism Joint Director [Ernakulam] Nandakumar; Planning Officer Satheesh V S; and Kerala Responsible Tourism Coordinator K Rupesh Kumar; were among the Kerala officials who participated.
Stakeholders, including tourism entrepreneurs, houseboat owners, resort owners, taxi operators, local self-help groups, hoteliers, NGOs and tourist guides from the region, were made aware of the potential of including local activities in tour packages. The team also explored comprehensive measures for turning local activities like toddy tapping, coconut climbing, fishing activities etc profitable to the stakeholders and the locale.
The delegation experienced Village Life in Kumarakom by travelling through backwater canals and various inland spots in houseboats. Field visits to the Responsible Tourism Spots in Kumarakom was also made by the team.
Discussions related to the formulation of basic development plan were also held as a part of this. Kumarakom is among the 12 ‘Iconic Destinations’ picked by the Union Government from across India. The discussions are part of lining up measures towards smoother implementation of various projects in the tourism arena in Kumarakom.
