The future of tourism business is “ethical” and that is the way for Kerala to stay ahead of the curve, said Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, India Tourism.

Speaking at the Responsible Tourism seminar at Kerala Tourism Mart, he said Kerala has done so well because it can create experiences that are close to the earth. As a destination, the way forward is to develop unique experiences by staying on the agenda of Responsible Tourism, said Billa, who was instrumental in promoting the RT initiative in the State.

Local participation

The tourism sector can move forward only by including the local people and empowering local communities, he added.

Responsible Tourism programme was introduced in Kumarakom in 2006. In the first phase, it was started in Kumarakom, Thekkady, Vythiri and Kovalam, and later Ambalavayal, Bekal and Kumbalangi. Permissions are now in place to extend the programme to other destinations.

A study on local purchases in Kumarakom eight years after the launch of the Responsible Tourism initiative revealed that ₹1.5 crore in purchase orders were made a year in vegetables, dairy, eggs and other things said K Rupesh Kumar, State Coordinator, Responsible Tourism.

“We are generating ₹4 crore income through responsible tourism initiatives in the seven destinations, and though it does not seem like much, it directly benefits the local community,” he said.

Business meets

Meanwhile the 9th edition of KTM witnessed around 25,000 business meetings – both scheduled and unscheduled on the first day. There were registrations from 1,380 foreign and Indian delegates.

The response has been overwhelming and this may be attributed to the fact that both buyers and sellers were accommodated in the same premises this year, facilitating meetings, Abraham George, President, KTM Society, said.

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