Thiruvananthapuram March 22: Kerala which is known as the hub for the
tourism was appreciated for its efforts by the international group of experts
in the recent meeting held by the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development.
It was also appreciated for its sustainable tourism with eco friendliness and richness, said by Suman Billa on Friday the Kerala Tourism Secretary.
It was also appreciated for its sustainable tourism with eco friendliness and richness, said by Suman Billa on Friday the Kerala Tourism Secretary.
The experts also talked about the variety of Kerala tourism activity
which can serve as an inspiration for India as well as rest of the world. It
was also said by Billa who was the main speaker at the meeting held in Geneva
and Switzerland.
The experts, policymakers and the diplomats from developing,
developed countries and also the representatives of international organizations
and the civil society who had gathered for the UNCTAD meeting recently has
given Kerala the honor of providing a responsible tourism.
The secretary general of UNCTAD, Supachai Panitchpakdi also observed
that, Kerala is an inspiration for the tourism expansion for entire India.
Billa also added, the tourism of the state had bought an economic
growth but there is also least concern for the ecology. The local people have
also been multiplying interest for the integration of tourist promotion in
Kerala.
Sustainable tourism practices have been adopted as over the years by
the policy makers because of the swarm of Geographical and social-cultural
features including unregulated growth, delicate ecosystem and high density of
population. It was gradually evolved
into more important and additional concept of Responsible Tourism, Billa Said.
In 2007 RT was adopted by the Kerala Government as the foundation of
its tourism policy and the four main destinations- Kumarakom, Kovalam, Wayanad
and Thekkady.
To drive the activities the state department of tourism shook hand
with the local self- government and women’s self help groups to create strong network
and set up important committees in Kumarakom
The RT of Kumarakom also set a project which inspired the configuration
of the farmer groups, cultural groups, village life experiences tours and
more. This is done to allow the
community to access the tourism market and benefit from it.
The Government also announced an incentive including a financial
support of 15% for tourism investment which would be especially for electricity
tariff for the project following RT practices RT certification for tour
operators and resorts.
Kumarakom, March 2008, 18 hotels signed tripartite agreements where
the pilot RT was launched to obtain the produce from the local community.
In the Kerala model of RT representatives from Caribbean countries
like Africa, Latin America, and some other Asian countries showed a keen
interest saying it could be stimulated in their own countries.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 22 (IANS) : An international group of experts, at a recent meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), gave Kerala a pat on the back for sustainable tourism with eco-friendliness and inclusiveness, Suman Billa, Kerala Tourism secretary, said Friday.
The experts said Kerala's variety of tourism activity could serve as a model not just for India, but also for the rest of the world, Billa, who was also the keynote speaker at the meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, said.
The accolades for Kerala's Responsible Tourism (RT) came from experts, policymakers and diplomats from developing and developed countries as well as representatives of international organisations and civil society who had gathered for the UNCTAD meeting recently.
"Kerala has become a model for tourism development for entire India," observed Supachai Panitchpakdi, secretary general of UNCTAD.
Billa said the state had turned tourism into a driver of economic growth, but without compromising concerns for ecology. The interests of local people had also been integrated into the tourism promotion work in the state.
"Over the years, a host of geographic and socio-cultural factors, including unfettered growth, a fragile ecosystem and high density of population, led the policy makers to adopt sustainable tourism practices. It gradually evolved into the more inclusive and integrated concept of RT," Billa said.
In 2007, the Kerala government adopted RT as the bedrock of its tourism policy and four pilot destinations - Kumarakom, Kovalam, Wayanad and Thekkady -- were chosen for implementing RT practices.
This was followed by a strong policy intervention in terms of aligning incentives and subsidies with the RT framework.
At Kumarakom, the state department of tourism partnered the local self-government and women's self-help groups to forge a strong stakeholder network and set up exclusive committees to drive the activities.
The Kumarakom RT initiative inspired the formation of farmer groups, cultural groups, village life experience tours and more, enabling the local community to access the tourism market and benefit from it.
Significantly, the government announced a slew of incentives, including a subsidy of 15 percent for tourism investment, special electricity tariff for projects following RT practices and RT certification for tourism service providers like tour operators and resorts.
At Kumarakom, where the pilot RT initiative was launched in March 2008, 18 hoteliers signed tripartite agreements for procurement of produce from the local community.
Representatives from Caribbean countries, Africa, Latin America and some other Asian nations showed keen interest in the Kerala model of Responsible Tourism, saying it could be replicated in their own countries with adjustments made for local conditions.
