UNESCO to give impetus to heritage-based tourism

New Delhi, Sep 29: In a bid to ensure that heritage-based tourism becomes a motor for poverty reduction and sustainable development, UNESCO will launch in November the ''Indian Heritage Passport Programme'' in four states - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and West Bengal.

UNESCO Representative and Director Minja Yang said at a seminar on Heritage Tourism in India that the programme would be implemented with the endorsement of the Union Tourism Ministry and concerned state governments.

''The programme proposes to reassess the local cultural and natural resources with a view to developing new tourism itineraries stretching all across the target states through synergetic partnerships among all stakeholders,'' she said.

''As such, the Heritage Passport programme envisages extending the revenue stream down to the local level thereby providing the much-needed developmental impetus,'' she added.

Ms Yang said heritage-based tourism, with its multiplier effects, could create the dynamics to invest in heritage conservation, creativity, education of the visitors and inhabitants, as well as capacity building of local authorities and the business community for sustainable management of India's cultural resources to the benefit of all.

Culture Secretary Badal K Das said 40 per cent of the international tourists to India were cultural tourists and 50 per cent of them have cultural experience in villages.

UNI