Ministry of Tourism organizes a Regional Workshop at Kolkata for the Eastern Region on the Development of Sustainable and Responsible Tourist Destinations
The Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), UNEP, and the Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI), organized the second regional workshop on Development of Sustainable and Responsible Tourist Destinations at Kolkata on January 11, 2023, with the goal of fostering sustainable tourism throughout the nation.
Senior government officials and representatives of the tourist sector from many Eastern states and union territories, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, took part in the workshop.
Shri Prashant Ranjan’s Keynote:
Director of the Ministry of Tourism, Shri Prashant Ranjan, gave the keynote lecture at the session. In his speech, he emphasized the need for a centre, state, and industry partnerships in attaining sustainability in tourism.
He also discussed the vision of the Hon. Prime Minister for promoting border tourism and environmental sustainability, emphasizing the manner in which these initiatives might be in line with the Life Mission. He also underlined India’s chance to establish itself as a worldwide leader in sustainable and responsible tourism by taking advantage of the upcoming G20 meetings at various locales.
State Level Context & Swadesh Darshan 1.0/2.0
The State level context for sustainable tourism was established by Dr Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Secretary (Tourism), West Bengal. He announced state programs including the Kolkata Integrated City Pass, “Patha Sathi” roadside facilities spread out over the State, Ecotourism Parks, and Homestay Registration, under which more than 2000 homestays in West Bengal are registered. For the introduction of responsible behaviour across tourist operations, he emphasized the involvement of the tourism sector and stakeholders.
The success stories of Swadesh Darshan 1.0, the Ministry of Tourists’ flagship centrally supported program for building the nation’s tourism infrastructure, were given by Shri Uttank Joshi, Assistant Director General, Ministry of Tourism. He also provided an introduction to Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and demonstrated how sustainability is incorporated into the building of tourist destinations.
Global Tourism Plastics Initiative
In the 26th Conference of Parties (CoP) on Climate Change, Ms Manisha Choudhary, Program Officer, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), shared some historic initiatives like the Global Tourism Plastics initiative and the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, both of which were launched in November 2021.
Interventions at the state level and recommendations for managing plastic waste in the tourism industry were emphasized. In line with national and international commitments to sustainable development, she urged stakeholders to join such programs and set goals to solve the crises of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
Additionally, speakers from the Eastern region’s State and UT tourism departments delivered presentations outlining their best practices for sustainable tourism as well as the difficulties they had in implementing it, which were addressed by the Ministry of Tourism, UNEP, and RTSOI.
Sustainable Tourism Criteria For India
The attendees heard an overview of the key components of the Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India from the Central Nodal Agency for Sustainable Tourism and the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (STCI). The Travel for LIFE pledge was also taken by the participants to demonstrate their dedication to responsible travel.
In order to make a real difference, grassroots industry stakeholders also shared their creative approaches to implementing sustainable tourism and success stories in various eastern areas.
The event increased the level of commitment to reaching sustainability goals among the Ministry of Tourism, State Governments/UT Administrations, and Industry Stakeholders.
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