Tourism as source of livelihood for common man

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 27: ''Promote Tourism and Develop Community'', the new mantra of Kerala Tourism Department(KTD) aims at transferring the benefits of tourism to the common man.

''Responsible tourism'', the new venture of the KTD, through its various promotional methods, will be of benefit to common man, says Tourism Director M Suman.

''Whatever development takes place in tourism, the benefits should reach the local communities,'' he told UNI.

Elaborating on the new venture, he said it was aimed at encouraging small hotels, handicraft and other produce of a particular locality.

''We will encourage the tourists to purchase local made products and also taste the dishes made in the villages, which would help generate employment and enhance the economy of a community,'' he said.

However, Mr Suman stressed that though all the programmes were aimed at developing the local community, no compromise will be made with regard to the ecological aspect.

''Whatever growth takes place in tourism, we ensure that the ecological system is not affected,'' he said.

To encourage ''Responsbile Tourism'', the government was seriously considering incentives and other benefits to the investors. The Department would provide ten per cent subsidy to the total investment and maximum of Rs ten lakh to each investor, he said. As part of promoting ''Responsible Tourism'', the Kerala Tourism Department (KTD) would liberalise the procedures for issuing licence to hotels and resorts, he said.

''If interested parties approach the KTD, licence will be given to tour operators, hoteliers and resort owners, even if they are not included in the classified groups category.'' However, they had to follow certain guide lines stipulated by the KTD for getting the licence, he added.

Noting that the guidelines were only in the draft stage, he said the new venture demanded the entrepreneurs to recruit a certain per cent of the staff from the local area, which would help to build confidence among the local people. Besides this, vegetables, milk and other food materials required for the hotels should be purchased from the local area.

The draft would be finalised after discussions with experts in this field, he added.

''This will create a feeling among local people that they are also a part of the industry and will support and cooperate with every such project that comes up in the state.'' When asked about certain negative trends seen among the local people towards such projects, Mr Suman said it was only because of these that people were not getting the benefits.

''If the investor wants to take into confidence the local people, he should try to convince them that they will also get the benefits,'' he added.

Once this project is implemented in totality, the director said it would not only bring new tourists to the villages but also help generate employment. It would also help in the overall development of the area and community, he added.

He also warned that if they found anything wrong on the part of the investor, stern action, including cancellation of licence would be taken, he added.

On the relevance of ''Responsible Tourism'', Mr Suman said the concept of tourism had completely changed and tourists wanted a different and new experience.

''We would make the tourists to come out of the hotel rooms and stay in the areas where they could really enjoy the essence of Kerala'', he said.

The earlier concept had changed. Now, no tourist wants to remain confined in his hotel room. He knows that staying in a hotel room anywhere in the world is same.

''Along with promoting the community, our motto is also to make them aware of our tradition, custom, folk art and food culture,'' he added.

UNI