Kerala Tourism has been conferred the United
Nations Award for creating innovative initiatives for sustainable tourism, the first time India has ever won the
recognition. The state lifted the
coveted honour for its sustainable development initiative in the world renowned
backwater resort of Kumarakom, a
Kerala tourism release said on Thursday.
Kerala Tourism bagged the honour at the
annual United Nations World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO) Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism
presented at Madrid in Spain.
Kerala won the UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance, the
highest honour given to the government bodies for shaping global tourism
policies through innovative initiatives.
Kerala Tourism was chosen for the honour for
its path-breaking 'Responsible Tourism' project in Kumarakom, which has
successfully linked the local community with the Hospitality industry and
government departments, thereby creating a model for empowerment and development
of the people in the area while sustaining eco-friendly tourism. The Kumarakom initiative had earlier won the
National Award for Best Rural Tourism Project in March last year and also the
PATA Grand Award for Environment.
"Kerala, a popular ecotourism
destination, portrays responsible and sustainable tourism in an exceptional
manner," said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, at the awards
ceremony. Last year, the Ministry of Tourism of Malaysia had won the UNWTO
Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance for its Homestay
Experience Programme. Previous winners in the category include Peru, Portugal
and China.
Instituted in 2003 by UNWTO, the United
Nations agency for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible
tourism, the UNWTO Awards showcase innovation and application of knowledge in
tourism with the aim of effecting governance and society. UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation was given
in four categories --- Public Policy and Governance; Enterprises and NGOs;
Research and Technology. Two other categories UNWTO Ulysses Prize and UNWTO
Award for Lifetime Achievement recognise individual contributions.
"We are humbled by the UNWTO's decision
to confer this highest international award on our state," said Kerala
Tourism Minister A P Anilkumar. "It is a recognition of our continuing
efforts to sustain global tourism, which can progress only if we consider the
local community as our biggest partner," he added.