Tag: Responsible Tourism Mission

The Rural Tourism Packages, led by the Responsible Tourism Mission, were launched on August 20. In the first phase, various experience packages were resumed in Bekal in Kasaragod district, Thekkumthara in Wayanad district and Kumarakom, Aymanam, Vaikom and Ezhumanthuruthu in Kottayam district. Village Life Experience, Cultural Experience, Story Telling, Native Experience, and Village Walk Programs are available with this package. The Experience Ethnic Cooking Program, which enjoys a variety of food from home, has not yet been launched, as Kovid standards remain. But the food will be available in eco-friendly packets. Responsible Tourism Mission Coordinators will ensure that all family ... Read more

The tourism industry of Kerala is largely supportive yet not even 50% of the industry partners are associating with the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission activities, says Rupesh Kumar, the State’s Responsible Tourism Mission Coordinator. We hope by implementing the RT Classification system, industry partners will automatically cooperate with the Mission since RT Classification is a promotional tool in the international tourism market. Our activities have created a new face for Kerala Tourism in the national and international tourism market and RT has become a kind of tagline for Kerala Tourism, he says. Excerpts from an interview: Q: In what way has ... Read more

Kerala Tourism was bestowed three prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold awards, including the one for an ethnic food restaurant run by women at Kumarakom under its Responsible Tourism Mission, at a glittering function at Nur-Sultan (Astana) in Kazakhstan last evening. The awards were received by Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran and Tourism Director, P Bala Kiran from Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director, Macau Government Tourism office and Dr Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA, during the PATA Travel Mart 2019. The two other gold awards were for an advertisement campaign of Kerala Tourism — Come Out and Play — and ... Read more

The Responsible Tourism Mission of Kerala Tourism was lauded at the Tourism Minister’s conference held in New Delhi. Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister for Tourism, Govt of India has appreciated Kerala’s RT Mission at the Tourism Minister’s Conference held at Hotel Asoka in New Delhi. Kerala and Sikkim are the only states in the country which could present better tourism models. Kerala has presented the idea of Responsible Tourism project, which connects the local community with tourism. “Kerala explores the social media possibilities effectively to run tourism campaigns,” said Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Kerala. Kerala Tourism Secretary Rani ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has unveiled a unique product to literally extend the feel and taste of Onam festival to visitors by enabling them to enjoy a variety of traditional dishes including the famed multi-dish ‘sadya’ and trips to sylvan rural stretches. The project , worked out by the State Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission, will facilitate tourists to stay at village homes as guests, join the celebrations of the festival of flowers, partake home-made delicacies and meals and receive attractive gifts before bidding farewell. The product , ‘Enjoy Onam feast, get Onam gifts ’, piloted in 2017 in selected places, will be ... Read more

Leaders of tourism industry have unanimously agreed on the action plan for implementing a “Green Code of Conduct” in nine major tourist destinations and accommodation units in Kerala, as the two-day workshop held to mark the launch of “Clean Kerala Initiative,” piloted by Responsible Tourism Mission (RT) with the co-operation of the stake-holders in the tourism sector, concluded on Thursday. As per the action plan, at least two of these centres will be converted into RT practising destinations before December 31. Besides, by September 30, possible accommodation units in different parts will be declared plastic-free. The programme was organized by ... Read more

Seeking to keep prime tourism destinations across Kerala plastic and garbage free, Hon. Minister for Tourism, Co-operation and Devaswom Kadakampally Surendran today launched the “Clean Kerala Initiative,” piloted by Responsible Tourism Mission with the co-operation of the stake-holders in the tourism sector. Flagging off the project and a two-day workshop at Chaithram Hotel here, Surendran lauded the role of Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission in rejuvenating the tourism sector by promoting good practices like the “Green Code of Conduct.” “Responsible Tourism Mission (RT) is not just a propaganda tool of the government but it is an integral component of the tourism ... Read more

Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Kerala, will inaugurate the project for the implementation of Green Code of Conduct in selected tourist centres to keep them plastic and garbage-free zones, on July 24. The programme, being organized by Responsible Tourism Mission (RT) in association with Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) and local self government institutions, will be held at Chaithram Hotel, Thampanoor at 11 am. As part of the launch of the project, which had been committed by the state government earlier, a two-day workshop also has been planned. The project aims to take nine selected tourist centres to Green ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has bagged three PATA Golden Awards –  for its Ethnic Restaurant at Kumarakom, Kerala in Women Empowerment Initiative segment and ‘Come Out and Play’ Campaign of Kerala Tourism Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media segment and the website of Kerala Tourism, (www.keralatouirsm.org) adjudged as the best website in Web Site segment in marketing category. The majority of the RT mission beneficiaries are women, many of them are from the local community involved in traditional jobs. Of the 15500 Responsible Tourism Mission units in Kerala, women groups manage 13500 of them. The ethnic food restaurant – Samridhi – run by a ... Read more

Kerala’s heritage-preserving Responsible Tourism initiative has drawn up an ambitious project to tap the culinary skills of women at the grass roots, especially housewives, to dish out the distinct flavours of the state’s ethnic cuisine to visitors. The scheme, ‘Experience Ethnic Cuisine”, aims at gainfully engaging up to 50,000 home-makers across the state in three years, by roping in them as key stakeholders in the hospitality sector. The project, which can set a major trend in the state’s tourism sector and empower women substantially, was announced by Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran in the State Legislative Assembly recently. The registration to ... Read more

Noting that homestays are a vital component of tourism in future, Kerala Tourism Director P Bala Kiran IAS said homestays will be given Responsible Tourism Mission (RT) partner approval, provided they strictly follow the vision and norms of the heritage-oriented hospitality initiative. “The classification will be in platinum, gold and silver categories,” Bala Kiran said while inaugurating a one-day workshop cum orientation programme for homestays and service villas of Kerala here on Tuesday. The event was organized by Trivandrum chapter of Kerala Hats, a consortium of homestay promoters, in association with the Kerala Tourism Department in Thiruvananthapuram. Bala Kiran said ... Read more

Wilson Mathew, Former President of Manchester Malayali Association, handing over the invitation to Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran Kerala’s Responsible Tourism Mission has received official invitation for its artistes to participate in the world-renowned Manchester Day Parade. The invitation has been received as part of a long term cultural exchange program articulated by Kerala Tourism and State Responsible Tourism Mission along with Manchester City. Manchester expressed interest in a tie-up with Kerala after the tourism authorities of the City came to know about the activities of the Kerala RT Mission, which has received the prestigious Golden Award at the World Travel ... Read more

Kochi has immense potential to be developed as a destination for experiential tourism, considering the heritage value of the scenic seaside town known for its vintage looks and multi-ethnic population. It was opined by Kochi MLA K J Maxy during a workshop organized by the Responsible Tourism Mission. Kochi MLA K J Maxy inaugurates the workshop Fort Kochi has already come under the state’s Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission, which is the nodal agency for introducing and implementing sustainable tourism models for the state. “With its distinct demography and socio-historical status, Kochi merits more prominence on the tourism map,” said the ... Read more

Kerala’s tourism model of Responsible Tourism (RT) has been lauded by international expert, stating that RT can take the state to a high rank in the attainment of the globally accepted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. “The most important thing for me is the success of the Responsible Tourism Mission and the way in which local communities have been enabled to earn from tourism as an additional livelihood. Local communities don’t stop what they were doing before but have an additional source of income,” said Harold Goodwin, Founder and Managing Director of the International Center for Responsible Tourism. Professor ... Read more

Kerala’s Responsible Tourism Mission has been changing the perspective of tourism in the state. The mission’s new venture PEPPER (Participation for Planning and Empowerment through Responsible Tourism), envisages preserving the ecology, while ensuring sustainable development in the village areas. The first phase of PEPPER has kick started in the Peringamala grama panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district. Foreign tourists trying rubber tapping PEPPER aims at identifying new zones or unexplored destinations which have a huge tourism potential and developing them in a hundred per cent sustainable fashion with the active participation of the local community. The project aims to empower the members ... Read more