When tourism transforms lives in Kochi

This was sourced from other States till these and dozens more of such items began to be sourced locally as part of Responsible Tourism (R.T.) initiatives.

Kovalam’s hospitality sector needs 13 lakh eggs a month, while Kumarakom needs 10 lakh papayas and 20 lakh plantain leaves in a year. This was sourced from other States till these and dozens more of such items began to be sourced locally as part of Responsible Tourism (R.T.) initiatives.

The steady transformation that RT brought about in the life of women, Kudumbasree units, auto and taxi drivers was evident in a few years since RT kicked off in a big way, especially in Kumarakom. Now hundreds of people are engaged in supplying candles, paper bags, handicrafts and a host of other items to all major hotels in Kumarakom.  

Revealing these facts were speakers at a seminar on RT organised here in connection with the concluding day of Kerala Travel Mart 2014. State field coordinator of RT, K. Roopesh Kumar spoke of how residents of Kumarakom who disliked and doubted stakeholders in the tourism but went on to become part of the tourism trade due to the confidence in RT practices.

Speaking about the evolution of RT in the State, Saroop Roy, project coordinator of RT spoke of how a group of discerning stakeholders got together and did critical introspection about what ails Kerala’s tourism sector.

“We insisted on community participation in tourism and four prominent destinations were chosen. It was found that food produce, manpower etc., were being sourced from outside through a centralised system. All this changed with the onset of RT.”

Director of KITTS Rajashree Ajith spoke.