The seminar on ‘Tourism & Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development’ was organised jointly by the Kerala State Tourism Department and the District Tourism Promotion Council. It was attended by Suman Billa, Kerala Tourism Secretary; Rani George, Director, Kerala Tourism; Hibi Eden, MLA; P I Sheikh Pareed, District Collector of Ernakulam; Rajashree Ajith, Director, Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies; and George Scaria, President, TPC, a forum of owners and employees of tour operators in Kerala, among others. Rani George highlighted the importance of sustainable tourism and also urged the industry to take active participation in cleaning the destinations.
Addressing the gathering, Suman Billa said that the state’s tourism policy focuses on sustainable development. The objective is to take its fruits to the common people and focus on promoting nature-based tourism activities, he stated.
Eden, in his inaugural address, said that the state is still lagging in tapping its tourism potential, having explored only 30 per cent of it. Hence, it is time to explore the immense possibilities opened up by this sector to the hilt, he added. Scaria said that a volunteer team of the club will make sure the popular destination remains clean in future. “This is not going to be a one-day job. We will monitor the maintenance of the area, including waste disposal, on a regular basis in future,” he concluded.
