The Tourism department has constructed 12 eco-friendly cottages in Idukki that opened to the public on Thursday. The cottages are build in Vazhathope panchayat, near the Idukki arch dam. The eco-lodge project, a joint State-Centre initiative, is part of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Central government.
On Thursday, Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas virtually inaugurated the eco-lodges. Mr. Riyas said that Idukki district contributes a lot to the development of the State’s tourism sector.
“The administrative sanction of ₹1.27 crore has already been given for the Ethnic Villages project, which will initially begin in Idukki district. The project will be jointly set up by the Responsible Tourism Mission and the Idukki District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC),” said the Minister.
Mr. Riyas said that the Kerala Tourism has a vast potential to attract more tourists to the State. “Pilgrimage tourism is another potential of Kerala and microsites are being prepared for various pilgrim centres of the State. A multilingual microsite has already been prepared for Sabarimala. Information such as the routes to pilgrim centres and the accommodation facilities near them is being prepared,” said Mr. Riyas.
“Cinema tourism is another project which seeks to showcase prime locations featured in popular film in different parts of the State to attract tourists. There are many such locations in Idukki and the Tourism department will take initiatives to develop Cinema tourism in major centres of the district,” said Mr. Riyas. Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine presided over the meeting.
DTPC secretary Jitheesh Jose said that the eco-lodges will boost tourism prospects in the Cheruthoni area. “The tourists will get premium accommodation with a minimum rate and can visit Kalvari Mount, Idukki and Cheruthoni dams, Settlement Monuments, Hill View Park and Idukki DTPC park,” said Mr. Jose.
According to officials, the fully wooden cottages were constructed in a 25-acre area. The lodges were constructed at a cost of ₹6.72 crore. The Central government allotted ₹5.05 crore and the State Tourism department allocated ₹2.78 crore for the project. The per day rent is fixed for each cottage at ₹4,130. The cottages can be booked through the Kerala Tourism website.
