Keen to shrug off the impact of various challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a change in weather pattern, in the previous seasons, Kumarakom – a village nestled in the backwater landscape of Kottayam – is ringing in a new tourism season this October with an influx of foreigners.
Home to a chain of luxury resorts and homestays, Kumarakom now reverberates with a party mood on the streets with the return of tourists just like the pre-pandemic era. The hotels and houseboats are receiving forward bookings while the prospective arrival of North Indian guests during the upcoming festive season will further add to the momentum.
The State-run Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission, for instance, has witnessed an unprecedented surge in the bookings for its village-life experience packages. “As many as 1,480 bookings have been received for Kumarakom while discussions are on with a handful of other groups as well. Given the current momentum, the RT Mission will have to run the packages this season at least till the half of 2024,’’ said K. Rupesh Kumar, State Coordinator, RT Mission Kerala.
