The excitement of a group of Responsible Tourism (RT) exponents from around the world knew no bounds as they bumped into a group of ‘human-tigers’ here on Monday.
The tourists from 10 countries are in the State for an eight-day Cultural Exchange Programme, organised by the State RT Mission Society of the Department of Tourism, coinciding with the Onam celebrations.
For greater visibility
The programme from September 4 to 11 is part of Kerala Tourism’s strategy to give greater visibility to the State’s harvest festival in all its grandeur.
The awestruck RT group enjoyed Pulikkali and the excitement was palpable. A few of them even tried the Pulikkali costume, while some others danced to the rhythmic Pukikkali movements.
RT Mission Society Chief Executive Officer Rupeshkumar K. said the purpose of the visit was to give the group a first-hand experience of the art form as well as to introduce it to a global audience.
Earlier, the group was accorded a warm welcome at the camp of the Sitaram Mill Lane Pulikkali team and the visitors had a close look at the nuanced and diligent preparations of each Pulikkali artiste prior to the performance. The group also interacted with the artistes.
The tourists are from the U.K., France, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Romania. The group also included RT leaders, academicians, researchers, and tour operators from other States.
Published – September 08, 2025 08:30 pm IST
