THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
The meandering road from Munnar to Thekkady in Kerala has been selected for the India Today magazine Editors’ Choice award in the Most Scenic Road category, in a testament to the soul-stirring experience that travellers get while criss-crossing through this extravagant panoramic creation of Nature.
Kerala Tourism Director Sikha Surendran received the award from Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at a function in New Delhi today.
On the occasion, The India Today Group hosted an annual event to announce the winners of its Tourism Survey—an exercise that focuses on the efforts of India’s many energetic State Tourism bodies.
Tourism Minister P. A. Mohamed Riyas, who also holds the PWD ministry under which road development comes, said the accolade is significant as such a recognition will increase footfalls in Munnar and Thekkady, which are considered internationally acclaimed tourist hotspots. These places offer plenty for a diverse range of travellers—be it a hitch-hiker, a backpacker, a wanderlust, a shutterbug or family vacationers,” he added.
“The award from the prestigious India Today Group is a reaffirmation of Kerala’s natural beauty that presents a memorable experience to travellers. We have launched a number of eco-tourism activities in Thekkady while Munnar is one of the most visited tourist destinations in South India,” Surendran said.
Munnar and Thekkady, the two scenic places nestled in the Western Ghats mountain range of Kerala, are dotted with green hills and tea estates. A road trip to these two places, considered as one of the longest odysseys in South India, offers a spectacular view of tea gardens in Munnar, forests in Western Ghats and rolling hills, interspersed with waterfalls, wildlife sanctuaries and the 2,695-metre-tall Anamudi Peak.
Earlier in 2023, Kerala’s Caravan Tourism policy, ‘Keravan Kerala’ project rolled out by the State Tourism Department, was selected for India Today’s Editor’s Choice Award. Kerala had also figured as the Best Performing Big State in India Today’s ‘State of the States 2022’ ranking, on the strength of the state’s well-crafted strategies and initiatives to retain its standing as the country’s premier tourism destination.
Over the last years, Kerala Tourism has bagged awards from prestigious publications like TIME magazine, New York Times, and Travel+Leisure magazine.
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