for people to live in, and better places to visit’. The declaration is likely to be made on June 29 after a two-day international conference on responsible tourism at Kumarakom.
This new kind of tourism program seeks to reduce negative economic, environmental and social impacts;
generate economic benefits for local people; and involve local people in decisions, those affecting their lives.
It gave more importance of local products and providing employment opportunities to locals. All major
hotels and resorts in the area have since sourced raw materials from over 400 local production units in the
panchayat. The Kumarakom model had won the 2011-12 national award for best rural tourism project. The
‘village life experience’ package has been a major success in Kumarakom. Authorities are now working to
upgrade skills and impart training to life guards, autorickshaw, taxi crew and other modes of service
delivery in order to improve wholesome experience level to next higher bar.
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Apart from Kumarakom, responsible tourism initiatives were introduced as pilot projects to coming years
in Kovalam, Thekkady and Wayanad
