Kumari Selja Catapults Indian Tourism to a New Era of Sustainable Tourism

Published on August 10, 2010 by INVC   ·   9 Comments  Print This Post

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All the stakeholders in the tourism sector in the country have agreed to adopt the Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India. The agreement was evolved at a Workshop on Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India. The Union Ministry of Tourism at the behest of Kumari Selja, Minister of Tourism and HUPA organized the conference in New Delhi recently. The criteria were developed on the basis of existing “Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria” (GSTC). Since the GSTC had codes for only Hotel & Tour Operator sectors the stakeholders at the conference have decided to extend it to other sectors of Tourism industry and a steering committee has been constituted to evolve the Sustainable Tourism criteria for India, which will then be formally adopted. For evolving sustainable tourism criteria and for development of various indicators subsequently it was suggested at the conference that India could consider global sustainable tourism criteria developed by Tourism Sustainability Council and other best practices around the world. For evolving appropriate criteria, which will suit Indian context, a Steering Committee has been constituted by Ministry of Tourism, which has representation of major stakeholders.

Minister of Tourism Kumari Selja informed the 2-day conference that environmental integrity, social justice and economic development are the three pillars of sustainable development. India has invented thousands of years of culture and heritage, which we all need to consciously strive to preserve and cherish. She said this workshop organized by Ministry of Tourism is the first such step in the right direction.

Tourism Industry in India has registered considerable growth in recent years. India accounts for around 1/6th of world’s population with only around 2.2 percent of earth’s landmass available. Besides continued growth of International Tourists arrivals the Domestic Tourism segment has seen an exponential growth with 651 Million Tourists travelling within the country each year. The efforts to promote tourism have increased manifolds during past decade in India.

This rekindled increase in number of visitors leads to unorganised and uncontrolled growth of tourism, impacting the environment and ecology of the destination. It is against this backdrop that the National Workshop of Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India was organised.

Once adopted the criteria will help the Ministry of Tourism in formulating such policies that encourage sustainable tourism while underlining creation of environmental, social, economic and climate responsiveness.

Internationally renowned experts were present including Dr. Stefanos Fotiou, Regional Coordinator of the UNEP’s “Resource Efficiency and Sustainable Consumption and Production” programme for the Asia and the Pacific region, Erika Harms Executive Director of Sustainable Tourism Council and Senior Adviser on Tourism at United Nations Foundation and Mr. Amos Roger Bien- Tourism Sustainability Council, chair of Accreditation working group and member of interim advisory committee.

This workshop was attended by Secretaries of States /Union Territories Tourism and Environment Departments and Stake Holders from Tourism Industry.

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