Madhya Pradesh (MP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kerala to emulate its ‘Responsible Tourism (RT)’ initiative. The initiative was started by Kerala in 2017 to ensure the economic well-being of society, social & cultural stability and environmental protection.
The MoU will task Kerala’s RT Mission to implement RT projects in Madhya Pradesh in a way which is suitable for the state of MP.
Objective – Development of rural communities in MP using Tourism as a tool through involvement of Local Communities.
i.The MoU was exchanged by Shushri Usha Thakur, Tourism Minister of Madhya Pradesh & Kadakampally Surendran, Tourism Minister of Kerala.
- As part of the agreement, Kerala will provide a series of services under a 16-point programme.
- Through this MoU, MP Government expects to highlight the rustic beauty, life and heritage of its state.
- It will help in showcasing the traditional value, attire and food habits of Tribals in MP such as Bhil, Sahariya & Gonds.
- A 13-member team from Bhopal led by Tourism Minister Usha Thakur will visit different parts of Kerala to gather first-hand knowledge about implementation of RT in Kerala.
Kerala’s Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission:
RT Mission was launched by Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala in October, 2017.
- It aims to make tourism a tool to develop village and local communities.
- Eradicate poverty & provide additional income, better livelihood to farmers, traditional artisans, and marginalised people.
- RT Mission is the nodal agency formed by Kerala to implement the ideologies & initiatives of Responsible Tourism. At present the Mission has more than 20 ,000 units.
- It has bagged several National & International Awards for this initiative. Some of them are National Tourism Award, World Travel Mart Gold Award.
- Tagline – “Making better places for people to visit and better places for people to live in”
Recent Related News:
i.On September 24, 2020 Kerala Tourism’s ‘Human by Nature Print Campaign’ campaign bagged the Prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Grand Title Winner 2020 for Marketing.
About Kerala:
Lakes – Ashtamudi Lake, Kuttanad Lake, Vembanad Lake (Longest Lake in India)
About Madhya Pradesh:
Tribes – Bhil, Sahariya and Gonds