Government Allocates ₹7.05 Crore for Responsible Tourism Initiatives

Fast Summary

• Kerala’s Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative received ₹7.05 crore from the State government for implementing a range of sustainable tourism projects.
• Fund allocation breakdown:

– RT fest 2025-26: ₹2.85 crore
– Responsible/Resilient Tourism Destinations 2025-26: ₹1.57 crore
– Participatory Tourism project: ₹93.77 lakh
– Munnar Net Zero Destination project: ₹50 lakh
– Job training for disaster survivors in Wayanad Mundakkai-Chooralmala: ₹13.58 lakh
– Ethnic cuisine/agri-tourism network and homestay meet initiatives combined total over ₹1 crore.

• Training planned for disaster impact victims to create handicrafts, with financial aid for product branding and marketing units.
• Projects emphasize experiential tourism, women-kind guidelines (including accommodation policies), rural enterprise support, and gender audits at destinations.
• Specific efforts in Munnar include training auto-taxi drivers, putting signages, maintaining a plastic-free destination, village-life experience packages, certification programs for hotels/resorts, destination declaration initiatives.

Indian opinion analysis

The substantial funding allocated to Kerala’s Responsible Tourism initiative underscores the State’s commitment to promoting sustainable practices in tourism while driving socio-economic empowerment-particularly among women. The focus on inclusivity by integrating disaster survivors into economic activities reflects an innovative approach to rehabilitation through job creation rather than direct relief alone.

Important emphasis is also placed on advancing “experiential” tourism that aligns with global trends favoring deeper cultural engagement rather than surface-level sightseeing-a move that could cement Kerala’s position as an international tourist hub offering unique experiences like ethnic cuisine networks and agri-tourism participation.

Moreover, the projects targeting eco-conscious practices like net-zero goals and plastic-free management at destinations reflect sustainability priorities critical given climate concerns affecting regions like Kerala more frequently through natural disasters.

With its broad scope-ranging from empowering marginalized groups to reshaping tourist activities-this initiative can serve as a model within India for balancing economic growth with ethical obligation toward communities and nature alike.

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