THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Buoyed by the success of last year’s special programme ‘Naatinpurangalil Onam unnaam, Onasammanangal vaangaam’ (Let’s feast and receive gifts this Onam at countryside villages), the Responsible Tourism Mission is planning to add more colour to the project this season.
Just like last year, the project is being implemented in two stages - Onam special village tours and Onam celebrations - with attractive village life experience packages. Last year, as many as 563 people - including 151 foreign tourists and 268 domestic travellers - enjoyed their Onam feast as part of the special project, which netted a sum of Rs 7.27 lakh.
The project envisages a delicious Onam feast in the countryside, a tour package for exploring village life and a host of Onam gifts. For a typical four-member family with two kids under the age of 12, the package costs Rs 3,000.
According to Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, the gifts on offer include banana chips, handicrafts, seed pens and Onakodi. The programme is available in villages such as Balaramapuram and Madavoorpara in Thiruvananthapuram; Kunhimangalam in Kannur; Maravanthuruthu and Chempu in Vaikom; Manjira, Varampinakam, Aymanam and Thiruvarpu in Kumarakom; Bekal in Kasargod; Olavanna in Kozhikode; Chekadi, Cheruvayal and Nellarachal in Wayanad.
There are other packages that include accommodation at homestays, a healthy breakfast, Onam feast, dinner and Onam gifts. Homestays that wish to be part of the project should register their names at rt@keralatourism.org before August 10. Homestays, Nadan eateries, catering units, Kudumbashree restaurants, hotels and licensed wayside eateries can register their names for the project.
This year’s packages include special tours and village sports based on the terrain of each region, backwater cruise, coir weaving, coconut tree climbing, temple visit, Thiruvathirakali, saree weaving, farm visit and a lot more.