- Tuesday, March 04, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
The New York Times has come up with its start-of-the-year list of some of the world’s top tourist destinations in 2023 and one state from India has found a place in that and it is Kerala, located in the south Asian country’s south-easternmost tip.
Three other Asian nations were listed and they are Japan, Vietnam, and Bhutan.
Kerala, which is often called ‘God’s Own Country’ for its scenic beauty, is home to backwaters and beaches and has bagged a number of responsible tourism awards.
It recommended visiting the state’s Kumarakom village to explore its canals; learn how to climb a palm tree; and weave ropes with coconut fibre. Kerala is one of India’s top coconut-producing states.
The Times article also highlighted the temple dances of Karala’s Maravanthuruthu.
Kerala, which bagged three international tourism honours in 2022 — the Global Vision Award 2022 for experiential and environment-friendly tourism; the Global award at the World Travel Market in London for water conservation and water security; and top honours at the Indian Sub-Continent Awards for plastic waste elimination, water conservation and revival of post-pandemic tourism, has a special Responsible Tourism Mission which aims at executing responsible tourism initiatives across the state.
The mission, which also works to implement the Indian government’s Rural Tourism Development Project, uses tourism for socio-economic causes, such as developing villages and local communities, eradicating poverty, and focusing on empowerment for women.
