Kerala recently inaugurated its first STREET project in Maravanthuruthu, a town located in the Kottayam district.
Through Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic, Tourism (STREET) project launched early this year, Kerala Tourism plans to highlight the state’s interiors and rural hinterlands on the tourism map. The project is conceived by the State Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission and is inspired by the ‘Tourism for Inclusive Growth’ slogan of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the department has said in a release.
Launched at select locations in seven districts of Kerala, it consists of theme-based streets where visitors can experience the specialty of each location. Green street, cultural street, village life experience street, experiential tourism street, agri-tourism street, water street and art street are the themes planned for each location. The STREET project will be implemented in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode, and have local bodies and residents as stakeholders.
Surrounded by the river Muvattupuzha, Maravanthuruthu has been identified as a water street. To make the water street tourist-friendly, the Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission, along with the local administrative bodies, cleaned and revived a network of three rivers and 18 canals.
According to the Responsible Tourism Mission, stretches of backwater, beaches, rivers and natural canals will be considered under the water street project. Depending on the destination, various suitable water based tourism circuits and activities will be developed. Country boat rides; house boats; floating restaurants, theatres and markets; fishing experiences, etc. are some of the activities being considered. To ensure safety of tourists, there will also be floating rescue/lifesaving teams.
Along with Maravanthuruthu Water Street, other likely projects to be implemented in the first phase are Kadalundi in Kozhikode, Thrithala and Pattithara in Palakkad, Pinarayi and Ancharakkandi in Kannur, Manchira in Kottayam, Valiyaparamba in Kasaragod, Kanthallur in Idukki and Chekadi in Wayanad.
According to state tourism minister Mohamed Riyas, “The amount earmarked in the [state] budget this year for tourism is Rs 42 crores more than what was set apart last year. The state budget has made substantial allocations (Rs 362.15-crores worth of projects) to the development of the tourism sector in order to take up a slew of initiatives like tourism hubs and destination challenge.”
