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Kochi: Kerala’s first Caravan park has been set up in Vagamon under the Caravan tourism project of the Tourism Department. The private sector caravan park will be inaugurated by the end of February. Services of at least seven caravans will be made available during the inaugural ceremony.
The tourism department expects a boost in the tourism sector with the new project. Following Vagamon, caravan parks will be opened in Malampuzha and Marayoor too, where the preparations are in their final stage. The parks will be established in such locations with fewer facilities for visitors, but high tourism potential.
The tourism department is receiving a remarkable response for the Caravan project announced in October 2021. 67 individuals/ institutions from the private sector have submitted their applications to set up the first 100 parks till now. Apart from this, 154 individuals/ institutions have applied for launching caravans here. The minimum land area required for a caravan park is 50 cents. The tourism department will grant a subsidy of Rs 7.5 lakhs or 15 per cent of the total investment for the first 100 applications received. The next 100 applicants will receive a subsidy of Rs 5 lakhs or 10 per cent of their investment while the later 100 applicants can avail of a subsidy of Rs 2.5 lakhs or 5 per cent of the investment amount. Expenses of a caravan will incur at least Rs 57 lakhs.
Facilities in a caravan
An air-conditioned lounge, safe seats, infotainment system, well-equipped kitchen, bathroom with shower and a bedroom will be available in each caravan. The travellers can reach the tourist sites by caravan. Caravan parks will be set up in a safe location near these major tourist sites. Hence, the caravan can be parked in this plot during the night.
Caravan tourism will also be deployed in the rural regions of Kerala to render the experience of living in villages to travellers.
Paddy fields, agriculture, water reservoirs, fish harvesting, heritage industries, handicraft industries, small scale industries, folk artists and enterprises like Kudumbashree will also be a part of the projects. Thus, it will provide a certain income for the villagers from the tourism sector.
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