Tourists staying at Kovalam, Varkala and in the city want to see how kasavu cloth is made. Half-day guided visits to Balaramapuram weaving homes, with a short turn at the loom and buying straight from the weaver, can earn money for both guide and weaver.
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This is a small tour business that takes visitors on half-day trips to the weaving streets of Balaramapuram. Guests watch weavers at traditional pit looms (hand looms set over a pit in the floor), try a few rows on a practice loom, and can buy straight from the weaver. You run small groups, pay each host family a fixed fee, and hire a car or van.
Weaver families were first settled at Balaramapuram in the early 1800s by the rulers of Travancore, and the town still hand-weaves fine cotton cloth with gold borders. Handloom is the district's One District One Product focus. The town sits on the national highway about 15 km south of the city, a short drive from Kovalam, while Varkala's cliff beaches in the north of the district draw foreign travellers.
You need a registered business, tie-ups with drivers who hold tourist-vehicle permits, and a guide who speaks good English and knows the craft. The hard part is the season and fairness. Most foreign visitors come between October and March, and the monsoon months are quiet. Host families must be paid properly and never pushed to perform or cut prices, or they will stop welcoming you.
Sell through hotels, homestays and Ayurveda resorts in Kovalam and Varkala, travel booking websites, and colleges planning craft visits.
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