The name Wayanad itself should be enough to encourage people to pack their bags and set upon their journey. The district administration, which is planning to hard-sell Wayanad tourism, is aiming for just that.
Wayanad is one place that is not just to be seen, but its pristine beauty, greenery, cool climate, misty peaks and virgin forests need to be experienced. The administration knows that they need to conserve the best of Wayanad to sustain its pull as a popular tourist destination.
Hence, they are planning to conserve its greenery and invite the world to this green paradise. Environment and natural attractions will remain its selling points, and help turn Wayanad into a top tourism attraction, says district collector S Suhas. Despite the lack of big publicity campaigns, the number of foreign and domestic tourists arriving in Wayanad is on the rise.
The world is yet to fully know about this beautiful place lying between Ooty and Mysuru. In the first stage, the district administration is planning to remove all the hurdles facing the tourist spots in the district and improve them. At the same time, they will also look at opportunities to sell Wayanad across the world, he added.
The district tourism promotion council (DTPC) is also planning to launch an app to promote tourism in Wayanad. Those interested in knowing about Wayanad will be able to download the app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
The app will help prospective visitors book tickets for each tourist spot and help facilitate their trip. They can also book accommodation at approved hotels, homestays and resorts through the app. The app will also offer taxi services for sightseeing.
The Wayanad tourism website will be optimised to provide more services to tourists. The website will also offer information about local cuisine, tourism activities in various areas, and village tourism. It will also offer detailed information about different tourist spots. Tourism kiosks will also be set up at various places.
The promotion video on Wayanad's tourism attractions had become viral on social media. Hundreds of thousands of people saw the video, liked and shared it. Now, two 15-minute documentaries are being shot, while a good logo, boards and brochures are also in the works.
Plans are also afoot to use social media to promote Wayanad. A detailed tourism map will also be released.
You are safe in Wayanad
Wayanad will be made the safest tourism post. In this regard, CCTV cameras will be installed at all popular destinations and there will be a central monitoring system. Hygienic drinking water and food will be made available. Eco-friendly bio-toilets will be another innovation that Wayanad will be able to boast of soon.
Existing tourist guides will be provided better training and others, including women, will be trained to become guides. Women guides will be a boon for tourist groups consisting of only women.
Main tourist places will have restrooms and VIP lounges, and there will be audio visual tour guides to introduce such destinations. While exploring possibilities of popularising monsoon tourism, rain shelters and restrooms will be set up. The present ticket sales system will be scrapped and ticket vending machines will be installed across the district.
No greenery, no tourists
Wayanad is attracting tourists because of its greenery. Everybody knows that loss of green cover will keep tourists away from Wayanad. Hence, the district administration will follow the green protocol during improving tourism infrastructure.
The collector had announced that he would present a sapling to everybody who comes to visit him. Taking this initiative further, tourists will now be given an opportunity to plant a tree in memory of their visit. Besides, the help of students will be sought to plant trees at all important tourist spots in the district. Plastic ban will also be enforced strictly.
There is a proposal to ban sale of bottled water. Instead of bottled water, drinking water will be provided at all places. But if people insist on taking water bottles, they can pay at the counter and take the bottles along. They can get the money back by showing the bottles with seals when they leave the spot. Orders will be passed to hotels and resorts to follow the green protocol strictly.
