KOCHI: Of late, the state’s Tourism Department has been thinking up new leisure spots owing to people cutting short their vacation plans. Thanks to the Covid pandemic, the shift to easily accessible and ‘right around the corner’ spots has been seamless. Introducing here is the department’s newest additions in Ernakulam district, centered around the Koorumala hill.
“The Tourism department has been implementing projects to develop the untapped tourism potential of local areas in the district,” said a tourism official. A locale with immense tourism potential is Koorumala located in Elanji panchayat.
“The place is a mirror image of the state’s hill ranges. Koorumala is one of the highest spots in the district. In the months of December and January and even during the monsoon, the hill turns into a magical place,” said the official.
“The misty mornings and evenings is a tourist magnet,” he said. According to him, it has all the elements which drive the tourists in droves to places like Idukki and Wayanad. “People used to come here in sizeable numbers for trekking, enjoy the cool breeze and camp in the open and to relish the clear night skies,” he said.
Interestingly, the department has been receiving suggestions from the local residents about the immense opportunity the place has when it comes to tourism. “The only thing that needs to be done is to develop infrastructure facilities,” said Rajan, a local resident (name changed).Now, the department has completed projects worth `50 lakh under the Koorumala tourism project. A walkway to the Koorumala hilltop and a mandapam-styled structure for tourists to rest have been completed.