However, various studies indicate that tourism benefits are not distributed equitably, providing limited benefits at the local level and to the poor. There is surprisingly little evidence at the local level about the employment opportunities created by tourism. The issues are not only related to the numbers of jobs, but also on the tendency to dismiss tourism as a frivolous industry providing low-grade jobs.

But, there are many examples within our state on enterprises who have adopted innovative approaches for making tourism as a livelihood options for many with very effective local community linkages. Most of these initiatives are yet to be documented well and presented before the world as models of using tourism as one of the tools for the economic sustainability of the local community.  Responsible Tourism (RT) initiatives world over has succeeded to some extent in creating awareness on how tourism can act as a catalyst for the socio-economic development of the local community. The RT initiative of Kerala Tourism at Kumarakom, the first ever coordinated initiative in the country for implementing the Responsible Tourism, has also created successful models in economic linkages through procurement of local products and providing employment opportunities for local community.

The International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT),  an agency taking the lead role in promoting implementation of the RT practices across world raising issues and working together to find solutions and to encourage people to take responsibility for effecting the changes necessary to make tourism more sustainable, has approached Kerala Tourism to organise an International Symposium on Tourism and Livelihood to address the issues and opportunities of providing livelihood to the local community through tourism.   As the proposed Symposium will directly benefit the state in promoting responsible practices and taking the RT initiative to the next level, it is felt that it is important for Kerala Tourism to make use of this opportunity by organising the Symposium.  Hide