Kumarakom: The village by the Vembanad Lake, known for its backwaters and houseboats, is getting into the busy mode as the two-month tourism season started off in November.
The foreign tourists have started arriving in Kumarakom, most of them opting package deals offered by travel agencies, which include backwater rides and stay in houseboats in Alappuzha and Kumarakom.
Bookings for December is over in many resorts as both Indian and foreign tourists eye catching Christmas-New Year eve festivities away from their busy schedules.
With the number of guests surging, room rents have also gone up for the season. Rents have touched as high as Rs10,000 to 25,000 per day for two. Houseboat rents start from Rs8,000 and goes up depending on the number of rooms.
Responsible Tourism Mission
The main attractions for tourists are Kumarakom's unadulterated village life and backwaters. To adapt to the slow pace of village life in Kumarakom, most tourists opt for walking as a mode of commutation. As part of the Responsible Tourism Mission, state government is readying bicycles this year to help foreign tourists.
There's also a decision to take tourists on small boats for nature watch and to expand the plan to provide them a chance to directly observe traditional occupations and agricultural practices.
Food festival and cultural events are also under consideration for December. The number of tourists went up by 4.8 percent in 2015 as compared to 2014. There was an increase last year also.
Read this story in Malayalam @ Chuttuvattom
