KOCHI: To promote environmental-friendly tourism, the Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative will provide ‘Green Certification’ to hotels and other tourism-allied industries in the state. The move aims at reducing pollution levels at tourism destinations where RT is implemented.State RT field coordinator K Roopesh Kumar said the move will be initiated within a few months. “The main intention of RT is to promote eco-friendly tourism. But bringing down pollution is not an easy task. To promote eco-friendly tourism, we have to urge tourism-allied industries to adopt measures like avoiding plastic and littering waste and also ensuring proper waste management at their workplaces,” Kumar said.
RT has been currently implemented at seven tourism destinations in Kerala. “Under the programme, hotels, homestays and local industries like handicraft, weaving mills, coir and shops which adopt eco-friendly measures, will be given Green Certification by the government. It is a credit given to the industries for promoting environmental-friendly measures at workplaces,” Kumar said.
Wherever it has been implemented, RT seems to have facilitated revenue generation for local industries. In 2017-18, tourism destinations where RT was implemented generated a revenue of Rs 4.86 crore. In Kumarakom alone, nearly Rs 1.17 crore was generated. Since RT implementation in 2008, a gross revenue of Rs 18 crore was generated.
“The concept of tourism has witnessed a sea change. Tourists visiting Kerala do not prefer to see artificial parks and buildings. Instead, they like to experience the life and culture here; to live in villages, experience native food variants, plants and flowers. For example, a foreign tourist is surprised to see Mimosa Pudica (the touch-me-not plants) which grow like weed in open places. RT promotes local tourism which aids in generating a income for local residents and industries without exploiting nature,” Kumar said.
Toilet mapping
Under RT, toilet mapping, which recommends government subsidy for people providing toilet facilities for tourists at their homes, was also launched. “Toilet facility is important at tourist spots. The mapping looks to identify public toilets and also residents who would like to extend the toilet facility at their home to tourists. The government will support them,” Kumar said.