In continuing its effort to keep abreast of the latest trends, Kumbalanghi model tourism village joined the responsible tourism movement. The first seminar on responsible tourism was held at the panchayat hall on Wednesday.
The seminar was organised jointly by the Kerala Institute Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS), village panchayat and Kumbalanghi Model Tourism Development Society (KMTDS). Kumbalanghi panchayat has been chosen along with Kovalam, Kumarakom, Vythiri, Bekal, Thekkady and Ambalavayal to implement the responsible tourism initiative.
As part of this, Kumarakom has successfully tried out creating responsible tourism groups and engaging them in organic farming and poultry. The produce from the ventures by the groups were supplied to the tourist projects like hotels and resorts in the village. “We are working on a similar model where the residents of Kumbalanghi could be encouraged to form groups and engage in organic farming. However, the village does not have enough market in tourism unlike Kumarakom. So we are thinking on the lines of entering into agreements with hotels and home stays in Fort Kochi and Mattanchery tourism belt,” said M. P. Sivadathan, president of KMTDS.
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Kumbalanghi was the first ever model tourism village in the country and later, it joined hands with neighbouring panchayats of Kumbalam and Chellanam to take up sustainable agri-tourism village project. With the implementation of the responsible tourism, Kumbalanghi is all set to move to the next level.