Indian tourism stakeholders pledge for Safe- Honourable and Sustainable Tourism...

On the occasion of World Tourism Day, September 27, 2010, Indian tourism stakeholders under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) reiterated their commitment to pursue Safe, Honourable and Sustainable Tourism practices. The stakeholders signed a pledge ‘to conduct business in a manner that benefits the culture and ethos’ of the country. Industry associations including Hotel Association of India (HAI), Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), Eco-tourism Society of India, Experience India Society, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), Adventure tour operators association of India (ATOAI), etc. pledged their support to the government’s initiatives on the occasion.  

Speaking on the occasion, Kumari Selja, Union Minister for Tourism said that by taking the pledge on World Tourism Day, India’s tourism industry intends to highlight ‘our sense of responsibility to our guests and mother earth’.  Sustainability is the biggest challenge for any industry. Concerned with continued loss of biodiversity the United Nations assembly has declared 2010 as the international year of biodiversity. She added that the theme ‘Tourism and Biodiversity’ is apt and significant in this context.   

She also observed that proactive promotion of destinations by countries all over the world has had an adverse impact on the natural environment of destinations.  “With more people travelling than ever before, there has been increasing concerns about crime and human rights abuses like never before. However, lack of proper documentation about these incidents, especially in India, poses enormous challenge on sustainability and growth of tourism,” added Selja.

The Minister further mentioned that joint effort by industry stakeholders and government to formulate voluntarily a code of conduct for safe, honourable and Sustainable Tourism is a definite step towards making India an incredible tourism destination. “The code of conduct aims to seal all sorts of exploitation and seek to redress a gamut of problems associated with travel and tourism,” said Selja. She urged the industry to help create wider awareness about the strict provisions of the code. Intense in-house training programmes need to be conducted by organisations to sensitise employees. She offered her ministry’s financial help through ‘Capacity Building’ assistance schemes for such training programmes.

Sourced=travelbizmonitor