Responsible tourism at Aavi
A unit of the Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission, on the beach near Bekal in Kasaragod, Kerala
Every element at Aavi bears testimony to the stories of the land, stories we strive to keep alive.
A unit of the Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission, on the beach near Bekal in Kasaragod, Kerala
Every element at Aavi bears testimony to the stories of the land, stories we strive to keep alive.
Every element at Aavi bears testimony to the stories of the land, stories we strive to keep alive.
Responsible tourism is about "making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit", in the words of the Cape Town Declaration of 2002. It asks tourism to take care of three things at once: the local economy, local society and culture, and the environment.
The Government of Kerala began its Responsible Tourism programme in 2008 at Kumarakom, Kovalam, Thekkady and Vythiri, and Bekal joined in the second phase. Today the Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission Society links tourism with local communities, so that local people, especially women, earn from tourism alongside their regular work.
Aavi is a 76-year-old ancestral home on the beach, and every element of it bears the stories of the land: the local art, culture, artisans, traditions, nature, and a slower time. As a unit of the Mission, we point guests to experiences that keep local people at the centre.
Theyyam is one of them. Theyyam Trails, an initiative by Polika, takes guests to Theyyams with local experts who work closely with the artists, their families and the communities that hold the rituals.
The Mission's Kasaragod office runs village experiences around Bekal:
See the packages on the Mission's Bekal page.
Yes. Aavi is a unit of the Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission Society, which runs responsible tourism for the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala.
It is the Government of Kerala's programme that links tourism with local communities, so that local people, especially women, earn from tourism alongside their regular work. It started in 2008 at Kumarakom, Kovalam, Thekkady and Vythiri, and Bekal joined in the second phase.
Tourism that takes care of three things at once: the local economy, local society and culture, and the environment. The Cape Town Declaration of 2002 puts it as making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.
The Mission's Kasaragod office runs village experiences around Bekal: the Kasaragodan Experience (cashew units, coconut tree climbing, toddy tapping, net fishing, clay pots, palm leaf weaving and Bekal Fort), the Valiyaparamba package, and A Day with Artisans.
Planning a stay? Message us on WhatsApp, call +91 8050 640 555, or use the booking form.
Updated November 2026.
