At her office room attached to a single-storey house in Maravanthuruth, a village that abuts Vembanad Lake, Ambily M. Soman, who runs an ethnic kitchen and a women-only travel group, has been busy charting a schedule for the next couple of months. A few guests, mostly foreigners, are slated to visit her kitchen next month while she has also been flooded with inquiries on the travel packages on offer. In between, she is required to make it to the interiors of Kumarakom, a global village destination nearby, several times and interact with the rural womenfolk there.
The 43-year-old is one among the hundreds of women from the backwater landscape of Kottayam who work as tourism entrepreneurs. Over the next few months, she is going to be an active part of a mission by the State government to turn Kumarakom and its neighbouring villages into a women-friendly destination. The project will see the participation of women in a whole lot of activities, including catering and accommodation, transportation, and serving as community guides.
Also read | Kumarakom tops in revenue per available rooms in country: survey
