Responsible Kerala Tourism to spread wings

The tourism department had adopted a three-pronged strategy in promoting RT with equal focus on economic, social and environmental aspects.

The Kerala tourism department's stall highlights village-oriented and community-based tourism at the Kerala Travel Mart. Photo: Vipin Chandran

Broad basing its Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative, the Kerala tourism is all set to add another 50-odd panchayats to its existing RT destinations by the end of this year.

The Department of Tourism has already identified 114 panchayats across the State as potential RT destinations. “Resource mapping of these panchayats is underway and selected ones would be brought under the RT initiative,” K. Rupesh Kumar, state coordinator, RT Cell, told The Hindu at the Kerala Travel Mart.

At present, Kumarakom, Thekkady, Ambalavayal and Vythiri in Wayanad, Bekal, Kovalam and Kumbalanghi are being showcased as RT destinations. The classification of hotels and resorts based on global sustainable tourism parameters is already underway at these destinations.

Already 13 resorts at Kumarakom, the pioneer in RT and winner of the coveted UNWTO Ulysses Award for innovation and public policy in governance under the tourism category, have been so classified. “We are set to kick start the classification of home stays and houseboats very shortly,” Mr. Kumar said.

The seven existing RT destinations did a combined business of Rs. 3.50 crore during the last tourism season with Kumarakom alone contributing Rs. 1.50 crore. Efforts are on to hit the Rs. 10 crore-target by the end of this tourism season, he said.

The tourism department had adopted a three-pronged strategy in promoting RT with equal focus on economic, social and environmental aspects. The economic model ensures that a part of the revenue generated through tourism goes to the local community by establishing a production and supply network for local produces besides giving members training in production.

The social aspect focuses on sustaining traditional livelihood by integrating practices like coir making, toddy tapping, pottery and net fishing into tourism package and ensuring proportionate distribution of revenue among the community members. Promoting arts and culture by attracting tourists to watch traditional art forms in the natural settings rather than serving it in capsule form at the resorts they stay in is another focus area.