Source: thehindu.com
District panchayat to take appropriate measures for their development
In an attempt to develop small tourism destinations and promote such spots under various responsible tourism projects, the Kozhikode District Panchayat is planning to map and video-document details of unexplored locations in all the 70 grama panchayats in the district.
To begin with, a meeting of all grama panchayat representatives will be held at Nalanda Auditorium here on February 5. Officials of the Tourism Department also will attend the meeting.
Five members from each of the 70 grama panchayats will present details of attractive and less explored tourism spots in their respective areas. The present condition of such spots as well as feasible development projects for such regions will also be presented to Department, besides including them in the proposed video-documentation project.
As of now, there is no such comprehensive video record or destination map available featuring the unexplored or hidden tourism destinations in the district. The plan of the district panchayat is to fast-track the mapping and video-documentation work and present it before the authorities concerned. If the grama panchayats themselves are able to do it, the district panchayat will extend all possible financial and technical support.
According to District Panchayat President Babu Parassery, there are several such hidden locations in the district which can emerge as popular destinations with plenty of self-employment opportunities for local residents. “Oloppara was one such location earlier identified by local bodies and was later promoted to the status of a quickly growing destination for eco-tourism lovers. The change is visible right in front of our eyes now,” he pointed out.
“For the growth of local tourism destinations, we are also ready to explore public-private partnership in possible areas. The district panchayat authorities will visit the locations to study the scope of development and adopt appropriate measures for their development,” said Mr. Parassery. According to him, the possible village tourism destinations can be even linked in the future to offer attractive sightseeing packages to tourists.
The district panchayat has a list of the yet-to-be explored eco-tourism spots, which will be covered first by the video-documentation and mapping project. The list includes locations suitable for introducing boating facility, handicrafts demonstration, and farm stay. Conducting tourism festivals in such locations to attract sightseers is also part of the new initiative to be implemented under the Responsible Tourism concept.