‘Tourism should be managed sustainably’

American expert calls for appropriate policies and systems

Destinations Program Director of Global Sustainable Tourism Council Kathleen Pessolano delivers a presentation on “public-private partnerships for sustainable tourism” in Puducherry on Thursday.

Kathleen Pessolano, U.S. expert and Destinations Program Director of Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), on Thursday stressed the need for managing tourism sustainably from an economic, social, cultural and environmental perspective.

Speaking at a programme organised by the Department of Tourism, Ms. Kathleen said that while the field of “sustainable destination management” was relatively new, with ever increasing domestic and international visitors to South India, it is essential for communities to establish policies and systems necessary to continue to thrive while hosting tourism for years to come.

She detailed the four pillars of sustainable tourism, which included Culture and Heritage, Environmental Management, Ecological Protection and support for Environment and Natural Resources.

Common challenges

She recommended the creation of private-public partnerships to pool resources to address shared challenges and generate mutual benefits across sectors.

U.S. Consulate-General, Chennai Cultural Affairs Officer, Moulik Berkana, Secretary to Tourism P. Parthiban, L. Mohammed Mansoor, Director of Tourism and representatives of civil society organisations participated.