THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Responsible Tourism, a legacy of the LDF Government, will be taken forward with additional vigour by the UDF Government."Responsible Tourism has great relevance for the State and we have to go forward with greater purpose," said Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar. He was inaugurating the International Symposium on Tourism and Livelihood here on May 31."There might have been failures but we have a successful model in Kumarakom. We should adopt this model and continue with the experiments in the three other destinations where it has not been as successful," Anil Kumar said. The RT initiative has still not shown much promise in three Kovalam, Kumily and Wayanad of the four destinations where it was implemented on a pilot basis.The Tourism Minister said that RT should be insulated from political instability. Tourism Secretary Dr V Venu, in his preface, had attributed the failure in Kovalam to a weak panchayat."The RT model we set up should not be a victim of political vagaries. RT should be made instability-proof. Only then can it be sustainable. I would also like more people to be brought into the experiment," Anil Kumar said.Minister for Panchayats Dr M K Muneer pledged full support to the RT movement."I am sure Anil Kumar will transform the Tourism Department into RT's pillar of strength. I offer unstinted support," he said. Tourism Secretary Dr V Venu, the driving force behind the RT initiative in the State, heaped praises on local tourism entrepreneurs, whom he called the "unsung heroes", for the success of the RT movement."There are at least 100 such examples in Kerala where entrepreneurs have formed a business model based on responsibility," Dr Venu said and added: "The twoday symposium will identify such examples of entrepreneurial responsibility in tourism.''Dr Venu said a new direction for RT should be evolved on the basis of the lessons learnt from the experience in the four 'laboratories' of RT in the State.Harold Goodwin, the guest of honour at the symposium and the international pioneer of RT, credited the State for evolving an effective working relationship between the ministeries and the local governing bodies."This is a rare phenomenon and should serve as a beacon for other countries," Goodwin said.
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