In a move to tap the tourism potential of the rural hinterlands in the state, the Kerala government is planning a new project.

The project termed the ‘STREET’, will be inaugurated by the Tourism Minister Mr. P.A. Mohamed Riyas on Thursday at Thrithala.

Sustainable Tourism

The state-level launch of the initiative will be done at 6 pm at the DTPC Park in Velliyankallu, in Thrithala. The state Assembly Speaker Mr. M.B. Rajesh, who is also the MLA of Thrithala will preside over the inaugural ceremony.

The ‘Street’, which stands for Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic, Tourism hubs, is being implemented in ten locations in the state. The initiative is also part of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) ‘Tourism for Inclusive Growth’ for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

According to the government, the other places that will implement STREET projects are the districts of Kozhikode, Kannur, Kottayam, Idukki and Wayanad.

“The STREET project will bring in tourism initiatives that suit the culture and topography of the region. These include green streets, cultural streets, ethnic cuisine/food streets, village life experience/experiential tourism streets, agri-tourism streets, water streets and arts streets,” stated a release.

The project, under the Responsible Tourism Mission (RTM), will ensure that its implementation retains the normalcy of the villages and maintains their ecology well.

The idea is to introduce travellers to rustic Kerala while also fetching income for the residents.