of tourism and capacity studies on destinations – an exercise that is vital for planning strategies for sustainable and responsible tourism .
Among the key recommendations at the session was the need for a pool of ideas and resources that can be accessed by all stakeholders in RT and better documentation of best practices from the tourism industry , case studies and reports that can be learning tools for practitioners .
He said the official RT website of the Kerala government could be a resource to post these ideas and reports for all stakeholders to access .
“ We also need to develop best practice guidelines for tourism construction , how energy and environment friendly the buildings must be . And we require more experts and organisations to assist us with carrying out reliable carrying capacity studies ,” he said .
There was also a suggestion to set up a specialised Sustainability University ’ in Kerala to focus on academics and research related to the subject .
The inclusion of RT as part of the curriculum or as an extra-curricular activity carried out through tourism clubs in schools and colleges was an idea supported by a number participants at the conference . Shri Roy said KITTS will soon introduce a certificate course in RT specifically for practitioners .
Shri C Jayakumar from the Thiruvananthapurambased NGO Thanal said RT should address , besides air , water , soil and aesthetic pollution , the problem of light pollution caused by excessive , environmentally-damaging use of artificial light .
A number of similar suggestions were put forward at the session focused on economic responsibility .
The lead speaker , Dr B Vijyakumar , Principal , KITTS , said there was a need for support mechanisms for micro enterprises started by women in RT destinations .
Also , existing marketing strategy for RT had to be strengthened and promoted so small businesses linked to it could earn a sustainable income . “ Innovation should be linked with RT initiative , particularly in developing niche products and entering into niche market areas . Such innovators must be given support ,” he said . A number of entrepreneurs are interested in
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
July 2013
METRO mart