Association of Responsible and Experiential Tourism Entrepreneurs of Malabar ( ART-M )
Over the years history after history were written and were even created by travelers. Columbus , the Portuguese sailor in search of the land of magical spices of Malabar sailed through the oceans from Portugal but landed in the coast of American Continent and thus discovered America . Another Portuguese , Vasco Da Gama had no mistake and sailed through Cape of Good Hope in Arabian Sea and rightly anchored in the high seas off Kappad beach of Malabar Coast in 1498 AD. The king of Samorine of Kozhikode was hosting the Portuguese sailor in the high seas off Kappad beach which created another history for we Indians ! It was the beginning of a colonial rule by Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and finally by the British against whom we Indians fought an epic struggle without arms under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi ! Thus our country is credited with a unique history of foreign invasions , struggle for freedom and a steady growth of social development which the whole world watched so closely and with keen interest. This global eagerness to know more and more about our country increased the stream of tourists both domestic and international . Among all the states of India , Kerala always had an iconic position in tourism industry . Blessed with natural beauty with its mountains, planes and the long western coast Kerala remarkably attracted tourists with the now world famous ‘ God’s Own Country ‘ catch word .
Malabar consisting of the region from Kasaragod to Palakkad districts has hundreds of unexplored tourist destinations and we in ART-M would like to showcase Malabar as a must visit place for tourists from all over the world
ART-M the first ever organization consisting of the micro tourism entrepreneurs of whole Malabar region in Kerala and Mahe of Pondicherry state were groomed , mentored and well trained by reputed tourism facilitators including BRDC ( Bekal Resorts Development Corporation Ltd , a Govt.of Kerala tourism organization ) .
Malabar between it’s range of beautiful western ghats in the east bordering Karnataka and Tamilnad and the long foaming coast with Arabian Sea from Thalappadi to Ponnani was always been a most sought after tourism destination over centuries. ART-M units have unique position in this tourism circuit where tourists are able to experience several activities that sustain the local community . Farming, sailing, trekking, kayaking, martial arts, folk arts, Theyyam , Kadhakali, Alamikkali, Mangalam Kali, Vilakkettu, yakshgana , Mappilappaattu etc are here for centuries but not being properly showcased tourists . Above all the land of looms and lores being Kannur , the land of seven languages being Kasaragod and the crown of western ghat being Wynad have immense potential to woo tourists . ART-M with it’s visionary approach will be working in tandem with other stake holders of Malabar tourism and is in the process of extending all support and motivation to the new comers with proper training , mentoring and guidance in association with like minded tourism entities .
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