The Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) will launch an exclusive initiative to collate data on skilled artisans, dancers and other artists as part of a project.

Kochi :

The Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) will launch an exclusive initiative to collate data on skilled artisans, dancers and other artists as part of a project under the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission. To promote experimental tourism, an online directory having details regarding artists, including their name, coordinates, biodata and details of stage performances, will be brought out.

The initiative, which will help people from across the globe access the state’s traditional art forms, handicraft products and artisans, will be launched by the end of this month. The online directory will provide an opportunity for academics, travellers and event organisers reach them directly. The Tourism Department has been working towards promoting experiential tourism wherein travellers get a chance to familiarise with exotic locales by connecting with the history of the region, its culture and people.

S Vijayakumar, secretary, DTPC Ernakulam, said a secure method will be introduced to verify the skills of artists. “It will revive old and fading art forms of the region, while providing support to the artists. Kerala has immense potential for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) tourism. And, we believe this initiative will enable artisans to showcase traditional art forms to a global audience, thereby promoting the cultural heritage of the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, the DTPC has planned to entrust Kudumbashree volunteers with tasks such as cleaning and operating parking lots in tourist centres and beaches.  In this way, the members of the women’s self-help group (SHG) will be stakeholders in managing the locales and ensuring cleanliness.  Also, they will manage the food kiosks, while focusing on the implementation of the green protocol.

Under the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission, the endeavour will support the regional community economically with sustainable living and employment generation in a major way.Owing to the easy air connectivity, Ernakulam owns the privilege of being one of the most-visited places by foreign travellers. In 2017, Ernakulam hosted 32,85,088 vacationers, an increase of 12.4 per cent as compared to 4,07,653 travellers in 2016. Luxury hotels and heritage sites such as Muziris and Fort Kochi are some of the major attractions of this place.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / June 26th, 2018