By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala government is gearing up to make the most of the tourism opportunity that the upcoming Onam harvest festival offers. The tourism ministry has planned a series of special programmes across the state.
“We are investing Rs.12 million in Onam celebrations which will begin Aug 24 and go on till Aug 28. The biggest celebrations would be in Kochi, Kozhikode and here. More than 5,000 local artistes are taking part in various cultural programmes across the state,” state Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters Friday.
Reports indicate that a large number of foreign tourists have begun arriving in the state to witness the cultural extravaganza.
“We have got feedback that hotels are fully booked during the festival season. We carried out a series of campaigns through the India Tourism offices and also through tour operators to ensure that tourists know there is no fever scare in Kerala,” Balakrishnan said.
As part of this year’s Onam celebrations, the Kerala Folklore Academy will stage a range of cultural programmes to showcase the various art forms of the state.
The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation will also hold ‘Payasam Melas’ at 30 different locations across the state where several types of payasams (rice pudding made with milk, sugar and coconut) will be displayed and sold.