Southern States
-
Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram
Call to promote eco-tourism
By Our Staff Reporter
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, DEC. 8. Mass tourism should not be allowed to exploit the State in any way and should be restricted by imposing stipulations as was done by many countries, according to an ardent advocate of eco-tourism and a faculty member of the Mid-Sweden University, Prof. Staffan Ohrling.
Delivering a talk `Prospects of Ecotourism in Kerala', organised by the Sustainable Development Council here today, Prof. Ohrling, who is a regular visitor to Kerala, pointed out that countries such as Maldives had confined foreign tourists to certain islands. ``Not only should the environment be protected, but foreign tourists should also be kept away from the local people,'' he said.
According to Prof. Ohrling, the attitudes of the local people of Sri Lanka towards visiting tourists have changed over the last 32 years and the country is now in ruins.
Pointing out that only 238 eco-tourists had visited the State from November 12, 1998 to November 2001, Prof. Ohrling said it was difficult to make eco-tourism projects profitable as it involves a social component. As young enthusiasts who are concerned about nature find it difficult to undertake eco-tourism packages, those who opt for it are older people.
``If you increase the number, it is not ecotourism. Backwater tourism is not at all eco-tourism. Adventure tourism and other forms of tourism in the country may erode green tourism in the long run,'' he said.
Eco-tourism should be beneficial for the environment and benefit the local people at the same time. He said the Government should come forward to promote eco-tourism in the State and take the responsibility in this regard.
Prof. Ohrling said he was planning to undertake a inter-disciplinary research project `Sustainable tourism development and carrying capacity of selected attractions in South India' with the assistance of researchers from the University of Kerala.
He said he had identified `highly sensitive', `fairly less sensitive' and `less sensitive environments'. The study aims at evaluating the contributions and hazards of different categories of tourism, both domestic and international, to the environment and the society of Kerala.
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Southern States
|
