THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to address the long-standing issues of littering, poor sanitation, and a lack of visitor discipline at Kerala’s major tourist destinations, the state government will roll out its ambitious Green Marshal initiative on a pilot basis in Munnar, Wayanad and Kovalam under its 100-day action programme.
The project, announced in the state budget as part of a broader push towards sustainable tourism, seeks to improve on-ground management of tourist destinations while promoting responsible visitor behaviour and environmental stewardship.
Tourism Minister P C Vishnunadh told TNIE that the initiative will be launched within the next three months. He said that three major tourist destinations have been identified to pilot the project. The pilot locations have been selected keeping in mind their high tourist footfall and ecological sensitivity. Munnar and Wayanad, two of Kerala’s premier hill destinations, and Kovalam, one of the state’s best-known beach destinations, attract large numbers of domestic and international tourists throughout the year.
“We are in the final stages of preparing the selection criteria to appoint Green Marshals. As this is a new initiative, we will first implement it in three locations and evaluate how it works. Based on the experience, necessary changes will be made before extending it to more destinations,” Vishnunadh said.
The pilot phase will help assess the effectiveness of the programme and identify improvements before a statewide roll-out, he said.
The Green Marshals will function under the supervision of the respective District Tourism Promotion Councils (DTPCs). The initiative comes against the backdrop of recurring complaints over waste accumulation, poor sanitation facilities, and inadequate visitor management at several of Kerala’s most visited destinations.
Despite repeated clean-up drives and awareness campaigns, littering, and irresponsible tourist behaviour continue to undermine the state’s efforts to position itself as a sustainable tourism destination.
Besides promoting responsible tourism practices, the Green Marshals will create awareness on proper waste disposal, discourage littering, encourage environmentally responsible behaviour and help improve the overall visitor experience. The tourism department has also proposed the Smart Tourist Amenity Centre along with the Green Marshal initiative. Under the project, modern public toilets with standardised design and branding will be established through the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
According to officials, the two initiatives are intended to transform the state’s tourist destinations into cleaner, safer, and environmentally responsible public spaces.