Enchanting Kerala

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

PEPPER - An Ode to Sustainable Tourism

Pepper changed the course of history. Soon this PEPPER will too. Envisaged at turning the face of tourism, Participation for Planning and Empowerment through Responsible Tourism (PEPPER) is an effort towards establishing 100 percent structured RT destinations. It envisages the sustainable development of a destination by bringing the local community also into its fold. 

PEPPER aims at identifying new zones or unexplored destinations which have a huge tourism potential and developing them in a hundred percent sustainable fashion with the active participation of the local community. The project aims to empower the members of the local community as decision-makers in the tourism policy towards the development of a tourist destination.

It is an attempt at spearheading a movement that will safeguard the rights of the local community, preserve the ecological and cultural fabric of a destination and ensure its holistic development. PEPPER will reinvent the way the local community is involved in tourism. Gramasabhas (village communities) will be formed in each destination and it will have a major say in framing tourism policies. 

A first of its kind initiative in India, PEPPER is the way forward for the sustainable development of tourism destinations. The pilot project will be launched at Vaikom in Kottayam. The State level launch of PEPPER will be held in November. 

Soon, PEPPER will be the basis for developing the destinations in the State. It will soon develop into a tourism model that can be emulated across the world.