A couple of weeks before it welcomed dignitaries for G20 meetings, locals found things beginning to look a little brighter for Kumarakom. Almost all the roads here were restored while the canal networks that criss-crossed the landscape were cleaned up and beautified on a war-footing.
And as the international event took off to a start here in the first week of April, it also drew a welcome spotlight on this lake-side village. Leveraging the momentum, the destination has started moving beyond the ubiquitous houseboats and luxury hotels to rebrand itself in the global tourism map.
Marking the first step in this direction, Kumarakom will be hosting a four-day long tourism festival from May 12 to May 15. From the local cuisine to the indigenous handicraft and new locations to night life packages, a variety of tourism products and services will be showcased as part of the festival.
