An international conclave of experts has hailed Kerala's brand of sustainable tourism with eco-friendliness and inclusiveness as its mainstay as 'a model for India' with equally great potential for replication across the globe.
The accolades for Kerala's model of Responsible Tourism (RT) came at a recent meeting of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva, which brought together experts, policymakers and diplomats from developing and developed countries as well as representatives of international organisations and civil society.
"Kerala has become a model for tourism development for entire India," observed Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary General of UNCTAD.
Suman Billa, Secretary of Tourism, Government of Kerala, who was the keynote speaker at the meeting, said the state has turned tourism into a driver of economic growth but without compromising concerns for ecology and by integrating the interests of local people, a release said here today.
"Marry high-end tourism sector with aspirations of local people and yet make it a successful economic model - this has been the cornerstone of our tourism policy," Billa said.
In 2007, the Kerala government adopted Responsible Tourism as the bedrock of its Tourism Policy while four pilot destinations - Kumarakom, Kovalam, Wayanad and Thekkady -- were chosen for implementing RT practices. It was followed by a strong policy intervention in terms of aligning incentives and subsidies with the RT framework.
Representatives from Caribbean, African, Latin American and some Asian countries showed keen interest in the Kerala model of Responsible Tourism, saying it was a "doable" model that could be replicated in their countries with local adjustments, Billa added.
