A responsible tourism village in the making

KOCHI: In a unique attempt to boost tourism, the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) is planning to develop Thanthonni Thuruthu island, which is 430 metres away from the Kochi coast, into a ‘Responsible Tourism Village.’The concept, according to DTPC secretary Jayashankar, is to develop the village with a population of at least 150 people, into an area where tourists can come, fish and cook their own meals under the supervision of the locals on the island.    “We have identified a site on the island, a few meters away from the coast, which has the potential to be promoted as a fishing area, especially since it has a large population of prawns and other fish,” Jayashankar said. However, he added that there are no plans to touch the coastal side for this tourism project.“Some of the houses in the village could also be converted into homestays. The local inhabitants could be trained to give tourists the feel of the village,” he said. Jayashankar added that a proposal has been submitted to the Tourism Department to revive the angawadi into a community centre.The tourism authorities said: “The concept would provide a break to the people living in the city to come and enjoy a natural set-up, not far from the city they live in.” The cost-effective project is a part of the Responsible Tourism Village concept wherein the locals, tourists and local bodies would be jointly responsible for the social, financial, economical and environmental aspects of the island and it would bring direct revenue to the villagers. Meanwhile, the villagers and local bodies prefer the ‘Knowledge City’ concept to be slowly introduced to the Thanthonni Thuruthu island by a Bangalore-based company.According to the residents, they have bigger problems that need to be resolved before introducing the concept of village tourism.  Councillor S Manikandan said: “Better facilities need to be introduced to the island first. We have no bridges connecting the island to the city. Besides, our boat jetties are in the most deplorable state. Unless, these problems are identified, the people will not  cooperate.” Most of the people living on the island are now working as labourers in various construction companies and are not interested in going back to fishing, he said.