The plans to convert Kottayam as a special hub of experiential tourism has received a major boost with Aymanam, a village in a backwater landscape here, bagging the One to Watch Award (Indian category) by the World Travel Mart (WTM).
Tourism Director Krishna Teja received the award at a function in London recently. The award was in consideration of the tourism-related activities carried out in the village from April 2018 to March 31, 2020.
The project to develop Aymanam, an adjoining village of the internationally renowned Kumarakom, was launched by the Responsible Tourism Mission Kerala in 2018. The project, prepared and executed under the leadership of K. Rupesh Kumar, coordinator, RT Mission, envisaged development of tourism products and services that are 100% locally owned.
Second phase
The second phase of the project, being established in two phases, is slated to be completed by March 2022. Last year, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared Aymanam as a Model Responsible Tourism Village
As many as 118 RT units have been established in the panchayat, which seeks to establish a destination code for the local community and visitors and achieve self-sufficiency through tourism. Training has been imparted to 617 persons in different tourism-related activities, besides initiating waste management projects in association with the local authority and the Haritha Keralam Mission.
Homestay units have been opened and a tourism resource directory launched. Tour packages ranging from village life experience to bicycle tours and paddy field walks are being implemented in association with women community tour leaders. A lakeside park and a boat terminal have been set up at Cheepungal.
Praise for RT units
The project to make the destination plastic-free and introduction of eco-friendly materials by the RT units too received accolades.
“The project envisages a structured development of the village’s interiors to maintain a balance between the guests and the local community,” said Mr. Kumar.
The Kumarakom-based Lake Song resort has won the silver award in the category of decarbonising tourism. Thiruvananthapuram-based Invis Multimedia also received a silver award in the same category for developing Miyawaki forests.