Adding yet
another feather to its cap, Kerala Tourism’s Responsible Tourism initiative has
won four gold medals at the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT)
Indian Subcontinent Awards.
The RT Mission
won the top honours in plastic waste elimination, water conservation (under the
Water STREET project), diversification in the tourism sector, and revival of
post-COVID tourism.
“With this,
Kerala has qualified for the World Tourism Market awards in the four RT
categories,” Kerala Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas said while hailing the
Mission’s contributions as a model to the participatory tourism
initiatives in the country.
“Efforts are
on to develop more people-friendly tourism initiatives,” he noted.
Kerala RT
Mission State Coordinator K Rupeshkumar received the awards, instituted by the
Madhya Pradesh government and the UK-based ICTR International, from MP Tourism
Minister Usha Thakur at a function held in Bhopal the other day.
The award
jury, headed by ICRT founder Dr. Harold Goodwin, lauded Kerala RT Mission’s
innovative project STREET (Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential,
Ethnic Tourism) in ensuring people’s participation aimed at grassroots
development.
“The world
can no more ignore the efforts of Kerala RT Mission towards green and
sustainable tourism,” Godwin said.
The panel
noted Kerala has consistently involved local administration bodies in the
state’s water conservation projects, catering to tourism promotion.
“The RT
Mission’s coordination with the state’s hotels and resorts in ending
use-and-throw of plastic products won international attention. Kerala succeeded
in curbing the use of plastic bottles with four-fifths of the RT Mission units
avoiding their use besides ensuring the supply of non-plastic products to its
accommodation units,” the jury noted.
The ICRT
jury also praised Kerala RT Mission for developing work-at-home videos through its
units, besides a string of activities it carried out through local
administration. “These include tourism resource mapping, village life,
cultural-festival tour packages, and agri-tourism network that promotes farm
tourism, besides the Experience Ethnic Cuisine Programme that serves regional food
and dishes. Also, Kerala RT Mission is the country’s best example of women
empowerment,” the jury observed.
