Tourism will grow manifold if Responsible Tourism (RT) reaches the people the way it has been envisaged, says Pinto Paul C., a differently abled Responsible Tourism resource person from Thrissur.
The primary goal of the RT Mission is to benefit people, and once that happens people’s support for it is a given, says Mr. Paul.
He was in the city to lead a session on ‘Tourism resource mapping’ at a two-day workshop for select resource persons from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Alappuzha districts that got under way here as part of the Responsible Tourism Mission on Tuesday.
Tourism plays a key role in the State’s development, and despite all the thrust it has received, there are ample resources that are waiting to be tapped.
“Kunnamkulam is not a tourism destination. But after doing resource mapping during my training, I discovered there were plenty of attractions for tourists there. For instance, there is a community that makes chenda. However, people do not know about it or do not know that a village experience can be built around it. There are unexplored trekking routes. There are other spots in Thrissur district that are yet to get on the tourism map. People will get job opportunities and can earn money through this mission,” he says.
Infrastructure
Lack of infrastructure, though, is a hurdle that needs to be overcome, he points out.
Rajini, a transgender and secretary of the Thanima special neighbourhood group under the Kureepuzha community development society of Kudumbasree in Kollam, is also attending the workshop.
There are many people from the transgender community who are immensely talented, but are reluctant to come forward fearing their identity will be revealed. The training, she says, will help her link them with the tourism sector, thus making a real difference to their lives.
Opportunities
Rajini says transgenders could start micro-enterprises and link these with the tourism sector.
Earlier, inaugurating the workshop, Minister for Tourism Kadakampally Surendran said the government’s tourism policy would be based on Responsible Tourism.
The government’s efforts to rebrand Kerala Tourism were in the last stages, he said.
