Professional Documents
Culture Documents
• Cult. Land: 40 acres • Cult. Land: 120 acres • Cult. Land: 75 acres • Cult. Land: 60 acres *
Destination Level RT Activities (Sept - Dec 2008): Social
Kovalam Kumarakom Thekkady Wayanad
• Survey for identifying • Local Handicrafts • Meeting - issues in • Tribal food restaurent
CBT products: covered identified and elephant ride/ started at Edakkal -
19 wards. Listing of networked with Market plantation tour/ Identified and equipped
Unexplored Tourism performance groups 2 Units (Kuruma 10 nos
attractions in progress • Village Life Experience Paniya - 10 nos)
started with industry • Meeting - destination
• Involved with Zero partners connecting the issues - decided to • Ethnic food chains (incl
Tolerence Zone rural fish farms/ agr. conduct guide Tribal) being developed
declaration. Farms for Village Walks training/ certification at 4 points at Wayanad
programme and and connected with the
• Local arts and cultural orientation for taxi
• Innovative concept - Sight seeing tour (Kzhkd-
activities identified and drivers
Vishrama - responsible Wynd) operated by
units started
tourism facilitation KSRTC Kozhikode
performing • Panchayat declared 5
services with the Division, facilitated by
(Thiruvathira, Kolkali micro destinations in
participation of local RT Cell
and Sinkari Melam) Kumily and planning
residents in process
for CB activities
• Resolved Industry- • Project Plan prepared
• One to One Awareness for restructuring the
Community conflicts in • 5 ponds identified
creation on RT with
RT Platform and cleaned in Visitor Management
People’s System at Edakkal Caves
representatives and Key community
partners and line dept. • Dist. Collector called for participation to start
RT Partner Meeting to fish farming with a • Preliminary Tourism
officials
discuss Safety Issues at visitor experience Infrastructure gap
Kumarakom; Cell space assessment completed
• Draft completed - at 13 wards in Vythiry
presented detailed
Kovalam Tourism • Comprehensive
report; Action initiated Panchayath
Resource Book Destination Map
on 4 issues
prepared by DTPC • RT Souvenir developed
• Beyond the Beach - and Panchayath
1. Life Jacket made
Exploring rural Kovalam detailing all Industry • Social Forum planned
mandatory in House
attractions and information and for Taxi Drivers with
boats
activities - planning tourism services Tourism Industry
2. No. of passengers
completed (Launch Jan available support
allowed and
09)
precautions shall be • Food safety • RT Awareness
• Rural delecacies exhibited in all the campaigns planned Campaigns conducted
promoted as part of motor/house boats for Higher Secondary/
with Health
Karthika Samrudhi/ 3. Life Boys shall be Inspectors/ Food College Students
Partnering with deployed for rescue
Inspectors • Networking with Tribal
hoteliers/ detailing activities
4. Alcohol consumption Settlements for
leaflets • Drinking water
among boat crew shall identifying
• Preliminary Tourism purification schemes activities/attractions
be strictly controlled by
Infrastructure gap planned with Health
the management • Ethnic art/craft project
assessment completed Dept. / Dist.
Sanitation team proposal in progress
in 19 wards
One to One: 250 One to One: 1280 One to One: 868 One to One: 575
Meetings: 16 Meetings: 48 Meetings: 84 Meetings: 18
Individuals: 700 Individuals: 2796 Individuals: 3018 • Individuals: 765
Destination Level RT Activities (Sept - Dec 2008): Environmental
Kovalam Kumarakom Thekkady Wayanad
• RT Destination Cell put • Plastic free zone • Associating with • Preliminary Discussions
timely intervention in declaration with Green Kumily - Clean for restructuring the
settling the waste alternate practices: Bird Kumily programme in Management System of
disposal issue. Sanctuary Cleaning coordinating industry Edakkal Caves giving
partnership special emphasis on
• A Monitoring • Promoted Bicycle usage pollution control and
committee consisting of among partners • Associating with carrying capacities
representatives of Periyar Tiger Reserve
• Street light survey of and Eco Tourism for
Industry, Govt, LSG destination completed • Cleaning programme
constituted for better initiating alternate conducted at
supervision of • Meeting held with Dist. materials towards Soochippara waterfalls:
infrastructure related Collector on plastic free practices
issues. environmental concerns • Cleaning of streams • Benchmark areas
of destinations and canals towards discussed with DLRTC/
• Street light survey
public utility – working groups/ and
completed at Kovalam • Decision on Plastic free
planned with Dist. explained to Industry
beach: Based on the zone initiated and
Sanitation Team/ partners
status report cleaning of Bird
rectification steps taken Sanctuary completed Panchayath/ hoteliers
• One to one discussions
by KSEB/DoT- • Street light survey of
• Mangrove protection; with Industry partners
KITCO/Panchayath destination
Mangrove regeneration for Baseline data in
• Working Group programme planned completed: Based on progress
revamped towards the survey reports
priority issues of • Samrudhi adopted Panchayath has taken • Energy Efficiency expert
destination plastic free sales with decision to repair all Intervention discussed
alternate practices non-working st. lights with Industry partners
• Identification of (app 80% completed)
• Benchmark areas
potential natural • Street light survey at
discussed with DLRTC/ • Decision on Plastic
resources connecting free zone initiated Vythiry Panchayath in
working groups/ and
with RT progress (completed by
explained to Industry
activities/leased Jan 31)
partners • Waste management
farming etc as part of
of 2 Colonies at
conservation initiatives • One to one discussions Kumily initiated with • Plastic free zone
with Industry partners erecting soakpits/ initiation with DTPC at
• Benchmark areas for Baseline data in Pookode Lake,
drainages supported
discussed with DLRTC/ progress by NABARD/ Soochippara waterfalls
working groups/ and Panchayath and Edakkal Caves
explained to Industry • Alternate Eco friendly
partners materials production • Benchmark areas • Alternate Eco friendly
unit started discussed with materials production
• Base line Survey on DLRTC/ working unit networked at
• Cultivation of Medicinal
Environment - will be groups/ and Pozhuthana Panchayath
plants and herbs
completed by 31st Jan explained to Industry
2009. Appropriate • Meeting with house partners • Base line Survey on
actions will be taken boat owners to discuss Environment - will be
based on the outputs • One to one completed by 31st Jan
water pollution issues
discussions with 2009. Appropriate
• Alternate Eco friendly Industry partners for actions will be taken
• Govt. programme
materials production Baseline data in based on the outputs
initiated on Issue of
units under formulation progress
lake Sheath
Experiments with RT
When a Panchayath took lead
Review Sri. GC Damodaran
M. Sivasankar IAS President, Kumarakom Grama Panchayath
Director, Dept. of Tourism
When Kumarakom has selected as one of the destinations for the pilot
Implementation of Community initiated implementation of RT, the primary question was how and where to start. When
RT is in a piloting process in Kerala. The move the process went on systematically,
ically, we could develop the organizational
observed direct benefits to local community and structures like DLRTC and Working Groups productively. The story behind
there were productive impacts in the Industry - Kumarakom emerged as the first RT Destination is nothing other than the
efforts we synergized tapping our resources and potentials impartial and
community – LSG relationships. It has now tuned
irrespective of politics. Every member of the Panchayath has assigned roles in
to harmonious just contrary from the previous the RT initiative at Kumarakom varying from cultivation to destination cleaning
damaging situations. This shall be enhanced
anced for to public relations.
more collective benefits strengthening our
Industry and local community. Also this process The people of Kumarakom including myself were reluctant towards the
shall be fine tuned towards replicable models for resorts and their operations; but the scenario is now changed to good relations.
other areas covering the entire State converging We owned the Initiative realizing the host roles of community by strengthening
all possible stakeholders and partners. This shall our productive sector, creating our space clear in the tourism in our village,
emerge from this experiment supporting the industry
dustry partners. We foresee a harmonious tourism experience
through RT - benefiting our people, experiential to our guest and productive to
the industry. We play our roles to mainstream our local activities and
attractions to portray our life. Also we think
nk our involvement is significant in
maintaining our surroundings considering the ecology and environment.
Partnering with RT
E.M. Najeeb
President, Kerala Travel Mart
Practicing Responsible Tourism and <
partnering with the State Initiative is certainly a RT Stall and discussion lobby at KTM being inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister for
positive attribute to the Tourism Industry Finance, Dr. Thomas Issac
Stakeholders in the State. It is a good platform to Responsible Tourism had a proactive role in the 5th Kerala
share space with the community people to be Travel Mart held at Cochin from 20th to 23rd Sept 08. The RT Stall at the
mutually benefited through Tourism. Lobby demonstrated the Kudumbasree produces and Kerala Souvenirs
Recession certainly affects tourist traffic along with discussion platforms on the RT Initiative of Kerala Tourism.
and spending. But it is a truth that travel for A good response reported from the delegates as active discussions and
leisure is often postponed when travel for queries.
experience is not postponed. Our RT initiative
substantiate those attributes of experiential
travel. In view of the terrorist attacks RT enables
a safer zone at Kerala destinations with
community support. Tourism Industry is
committed to support and carry forward this
move with an unreserved mindset.
2nd Edition of Spotlight (Issue Nov 08) portraying WTM World Responsible Tourism Day