THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Tourism’s sustainable development initiatives in Kumarakom has fetched the God’s Own Country the coveted World Travel Mart Responsible Tourism (WTM RT) Award 2017.
The Responsible Tourism initiative at the scenic Kumarakom village in Kottayam district, which is famous for its backwater tourism, was among the 12 finalists shortlisted this year for the WTM RT Awards reports The Hindu.
The much-lauded Kumarakom responsible tourism initiative has been declared as ‘highly commended’. Minister for Tourism Kadakampally Surendran, who is leading a delegation from the State to the ongoing WTM in London, received the award on Wednesday. V. Venu, Principal Secretary, Tourism, and P. Bala Kiran, Director of Tourism, were present.
This year being International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the awards have focussed on the UN sustainable development goals, reflecting the awards’ position as the leading scheme for responsible tourism in the world.
Many awards
Kumarakom had earlier won the UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance, the highest honour given to government bodies for shaping global tourism policies through innovative initiatives.
The Kumarakom initiative had also fetched the national award for best rural tourism project, PATA grand award for environment, five national awards, and this year’s national award of Union Tourism Ministry for the best responsible tourism project.
