Just as the country's first attempt at establishing a model tourism village almost lost its steam and came to a near stop, Kumbalanghi reinvented itself. The village on the outskirts of the city is planning to bring in another wave of development by roping in neighbouring coastal village of Chellanam too into the Sustainable Agriculture Village project.

The project got a boost when M.S. Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, visited the village last week along with Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs K.V. Thomas. The model tourism village project was inaugurated way back in 2005 and the aim was to retain the old world charm to attract tourists from abroad and within the country.

And it did succeed, as those at the Kumbalanghi Model Tourism Development Society (KMTDS) claim to have achieved a flow of nearly 6,000 foreign and 10,000 domestic tourists last year. But the development projects as envisaged under the Rs. 25-crore model tourism project were stalled after the initial stages. “The new project will make Kumbalanghi village self-reliant, as goat and poultry farming are being promoted along with honey-bee farming and financial support for micro enterprises. Nearly 100 homesteads are being developed as complete agricultural units,” said M.P. Sivadathan, president of KMTDS. 

The tourism plans of Nilambur is all set to take off on February 11 when chief minister Oommen Chandy inaugurates the work on Eastern Corridor, a multi-crore eco-tourism initiative. The project, which will be implemented in association with the forest department, aims to link forest areas from to Perinthalmanna with the adjacent tourist spots. This is expected to leverage the tourism potential of the district by adding a tinge of greenery to the tourist itineraries.

The project was announced last year during the joint visit made by tourism minister A P Anilkumar and forest minister K B Ganesh Kumar in Nilambur. It envisions building up Vadapuram town square at a cost of Rs 1 crore at Vadapuram from where the project will start. Viewpoints for tourists, eco-friendly toilets and paths will be built at the Canoli plot as part of the project, said officials after a meeting on Tuesday.