Madhya Pradesh to replicate Kerala’s Responsible Tourism initiatives

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

ISSUE: 330

FEBRUARY 2021

Madhya Pradesh is all set to model itself along the example set by the state of Kerala in its tourism initiatives. The state has decided to emulate Kerala in its Responsible Tourism (RT) initiatives and is ready to launch Responsible Tourism, thereby making tourism a tool for the development of its villages and local communities.

Kerala Tourism’s RT Mission will implement the project in the central Indian state under a 16-point programme. An official agreement in this regard is scheduled to be signed.

Expressing pleasure over other states emulating Kerala’s RT model, Tourism Minister Mr. Kadakampally Surendran said: “Of late, other states also have evinced interest in launching the Kerala-model RT. We will be happy to cooperate with them in implementing RT as a social development initiative.”

A high-level delegation from Bhopal will begin a week’s tour of Kerala to gather first-hand knowledge about RT in the state. The 13-member team is to be led by Madhya Pradesh Tourism and Culture Department Minister Ms. Usha Thakur.

Kerala Tourism Director Mr. P Bala Kiran said the launch of RT in other parts of the country opens a wide range of opportunities for the state. Tourism Secretary Ms Rani George said that the RT Mission has 20,000 units and 1,09,000 beneficiaries in Kerala. It has given local people a combined income of Rs 38 crores from the state’s tourism sector.

While a few states in the country are implementing the Kerala-model RT, Madhya Pradesh will be the first to sign a pact with the government. The nodal officers for the project will be Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board Director Mr. Manoj Kumar Singh and Kerala RT Mission co-ordinator Mr. K. Rupesh Kumar. Once the delegation from Bhopal returns, a team of Kerala RT Mission will make a visit to Madhya Pradesh.

RT in Kerala emerged as a state mission in October 2017 from what began as a project in four centres of Kottayam district. From then on, the endeavour which strives for social, economic and environmental development has been winning several national and international honours, including the World Travel Market (WTM) award 2020.

The Kerala Tourism’s MoU with Madhya Pradesh features a 16-point programme viz. to implement Kerala’s RT projects in Madhya Pradesh in ways that suit that state; to help Madhya Pradesh chart its RT masterplan; to ready the human resources to implement the project; conduct training projects; to list the criteria for the formation of district tourism promotion councils; to locate sustained tourism projects so as to carry out RT projects; to formulate social and economic security measures; to help in grading of hotels, resorts and homestays; to form tourism clubs, and construct lavatories and restrooms on the lines of those approved by Kerala’s RT.