Hon’ble Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism Dr K Chiranjeevi will inaugurate an international conference being organised in Kumarakom, Kottayam, to review the progress made by Kerala in implementing Responsible Tourism (RT) practices and to help develop a roadmap for the future.
Organised by Department of Tourism in association with RT School@KITTS, the conference will be hosted by the Backwater Ripples resort at Kumarakom from June 27-29, 2013.
RT is centred on local community engagement with a strong commitment to preserving the socio-cultural identity and the environment at destinations. Initiated in 1990s, RT is today widely accepted as an effective tool for ensuring sustainable development in tourism.
Around 150 delegates will take part in the conference including from countries that are the forefront of RT implementation, such as Gambia, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
Hon’ble Minister for Tourism Shri A P Anil Kumar will preside over the inaugural function. Shri Sitaram Yechury, Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture; Shri Jose K Mani, MP; Shri Suresh Kurup, MLA; Shri Suman Billa, Secretary, Kerala Tourism; Shri Harikishore, Director, Tourism; and Dr. Rajashree Ajith, Director, KITTS will be among the dignitaries.
The plenary session on the first day will be on the conference theme “Responsible Tourism: Looking back; Moving Ahead”, featuring speakers from six countries and from Kerala.
“Kerala has been in the forefront of Responsible Tourism since the March 2008 International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations was held in Cochin. This Conference is an opportunity to look at what has been achieved in Kerala in implementing Responsible Tourism and to look at the challenges which need to be addressed in the next five years,” said Shri A P Anil Kumar.
RT has now been accepted globally as a tool to boost local economies and livelihood. For instance the West African nation of Gambia has, like Kerala, developed strategies for engaging with local communities to ensure that they benefit from the tourism in their area, generating both employment and micro-enterprise opportunities for the economically poor.
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