Soon, tourists visiting Kerala can have a hands-on experience of the State’s ethnic culture without barging into the living spaces of ethnic communities or disturbing their life and ecosystem, thanks to a novel initiative by Kerala Tourism.
Titled Ethnic Villages, the project will be piloted in Idukki district jointly by the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission and the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC). It envisages setting up an ethnic village on two acres of land of the DTPC, where the traditional art forms, cuisine, handicrafts and other cultural expressions of various tribal communities in the State will be showcased.
The State government has given administrative sanction for ₹1. 27 crore for the first phase of the two-phase project. “This initiative will present before the world the unique features of Kerala’s ethnic culture,” Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas said. Apart from enabling the visitors to have a hands-on feel of the State’s diverse ethnic culture, the project would also help conserve the lifestyle, ecosystem and heritage of ethnic communities, Mr. Riyas added.
The ‘ethnic village’ will have accommodations modelled on the tribal houses, but with modern amenities in a gated property with two sections — tourism activity zone and accommodation zone.
