Tourism News

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

Idukki to House the First `Ethnic Village’ in Kerala

The Tourism Department will launch a project titled 'Ethnic Village' on a pilot basis in Idukki district. The project will be implemented jointly by the state’s Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission and the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC). The scheme aims to offer a personalised experience for tourists of the state’s ethnic culture.

An ethnic village will be created on two acres of land of the DTPC, where traditional art forms, cuisine, and handicrafts and other cultural expressions of Kerala’s various tribal communities belonging to the category of Scheduled Tribes (ST) will be showcased.

The state government has given administrative sanction for Rs 1.27 crore for the first phase of the two-phase project.

“This novel initiative will present before the world the unique features of Kerala’s ethnic culture,” said Tourism Minister Shri P. A. Mohamed Riyas.

Apart from enabling visitors to have a direct feel of the state’s diverse ethnic culture, the project will also help conserve the lifestyle, ecosystem and heritage of ethnic communities, Shri Riyas added.

The ‘ethnic village’ will have accommodations modelled on the tribal houses but fitted with modern amenities. It will be developed as a gated property with two sections: a tourism activity zone and an accommodation zone.