keralaconference

media type="custom" key="2909925" align="right"International Responsible Tourism Conferences, Kerala (2008 and 2013)
related: icrt, india, responsible tourism facebook: [|RTKerala] editing: [|What is responsible tourism?]

2013
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 * June 27-29** [|Responsible Tourism Conference] - [|Facebook]

2008
Welcome to the online wiki for the Second International Responsible Tourism Conference which was held in Kerala, India from 21st to 24th March 2008.

http://www.rtkerala.com

Message for Kerala Responsible Tourism Conference http://youtu.be/8azX9DQEdmY

About the event
More than 350 delegates registered for the Kerala conference. Presenters at the academic session of the conference include Harold Goodwin, International Centre for Responsible Tourism, Leeds Metropolitan University with a review of progress on responsible tourism since Cape Town.

Others presentations included:
 * **Nicole Haeusler**, mas contour, Germany: Community-based Tourism – what works and what does not work, drawing on experience in South America and Asia
 * **Gordon Sillence**, DestiNet Partnership between the EEA, UNWTO, UNEP and Ecotrans: Strategies for Developing Sustainable Tourism Programmes
 * **Lucy McCombes** ,MSc Responsible Tourism Management, University of Greenwich: Can tourist-host encounters be responsibly managed?
 * **Nicole Frey**, University of Cape Town: Responsible tourism management: the missing link between attitude and behaviour
 * **Anna Spenceley**, International Centre for Responsible Tourism, South Africa: Practical initiatives to responsible tourism in destinations: Community and nature based tourism in South Africa
 * **Mr. R K Anil**, Project Officer, Endogenous Tourism Project and **Veronica Garcia Lucchetti**, Student, ICRT, Leeds Metropolitan University: Endogenous tourism projects in India: Elements of responsible tourism
 * **Sanjay M. Nadkarni**, International Institute of Macao/Macao University of Science and Technology: The role of heritage assets in developing responsible tourism: a case of two former Portuguese enclaves in Asia
 * **Jacqueline Kuehnel**, J K Enterprises/Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ryerson University, Canada: Corporate social responsibility practices of Canadian outbound mass tour operators
 * **Petal Patrice Thomas**, The University of the West Indies: ‘Greening’ the activities of all-inclusive hotel and cruise tourism in the Caribbean: Barbados, St. Lucia and Tobago
 * **Juan Carlos Bonilla**, Doctoral Program, International University of Monaco: Participatory planning for sustainable cruise ship tourism in the Mesoamerican reef destinations
 * **Aswin Azny Aksan**, University Technology MARA, Malaysia: Responsible ecotourism development for Mersing, Malaysia: an analysis of socio-economic changes
 * **Kesavan Ravi Phd**, Sustainable Development Consultant, The department of tourism, Government of Kerala: Sustainable development and virtuous cycle planning for achieving responsible tourism goals
 * **Varghese Manaloor**, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Alberta, Canada: Community based ecotourism in a globalised economy: a sustainable development option for Kerala
 * **Chris Sandbrook**, University of Cambridge: Who are the responsible tourists? Exploring the links between tourist characteristics and their socio-economic and environmental impacts at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
 * **Shaun Gilchrist**, WHL Travel: Responsible Travel - the WHL approach.
 * **Brigit Steck**, SNV Tourism Adviser, Tanzania: Responsible tourism development at destination level: The Pangani-Saadani area in Tanzania
 * **Maria Lusia Rendon Puertas**, CARE, Ecuador: From the snow to the mangrove, creative solutions
 * **Charmarie Maelge**, Responsible tourism partnership, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka’s responsible tourism story and achievements
 * **Stephen Tinsley**, Sustainable Development Research Centre, UK: Creating sustainable communities: opportunities for the tourism industry

[|Conference Greeting]
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__DAY ONE: **The Incredible India Second International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations**__

The conference opened in Kerala yesterday with key speakers and presentations from academics from around the world to open up channels of debate and relate details of responsible tourism projects which have been undertaken in destinations around the world. More than 400 delegates from 25 countries have convened on Kerala to review the progress which has been made in achieving ‘Responsible Tourism’ since the Cape Town Declaration of 2002.

Shri. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Honorable Minister from Home, Vigilance and Tourism, Government of Kerala and Shri. Shilabhadra Banerjee, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India formally opened the Conference proceedings. These opening speeches were followed by an endorsement of the principles or Responsible Tourism from the Indian Association of Tour Operators, the Association of Domestic Tour Operators, the Ecotourism Society of India and the Kerala Travel Mart Society And the challenge of finding methods of implementing Responsible Tourism in destinations across the globe has been set.

An issue brought to light in the first day of the Conference has implications in developing and developed destinations around the world. Kerala has many more domestic than international visitors as can be seen in the 2006 tourism statistics for Kerala which show that out of the 6,000,000 visitors to Kerala in 2006, less than 10% were international visitors. Thus it is clear that the impacts of tourism in general need to be addressed, evaluated and managed. We can no longer afford to solely focus on international tourism.

Keralan local media, as part of the already emerging legacy of the Conference, have committed to carrying forward the concept of Responsible Tourism into practice through highlighting the opening speech by Kerala Tourism Minister Shri. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and a pledge of commitment to Responsible Tourism development and management.

Shri. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan asserted Kerala’s priorities as three fold; Responsibility to the Local Community, Responsibility to Nature and Responsibility to tourists. In the following quote from Shri. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan it can be seen that Responsible Tourism is on the main agenda for tourism in Kerala: //“To fulfil the responsibility to the local community we should focus both on local economy and local culture. Responsible Tourism is to avoid monopoly in reaping the benefits of tourism by a group of capitalists and to assure nature conservation while ensuring private participation in tourism development.”//

The first day of the Conference was a long eventful day for the 350 delegates present with the formal proceedings and presentations starting early and not finishing until 6.30 pm. Some of the academic conference papers are already available online via links from the Conference Wiki available at: http://planeta.wikispaces.com/KeralaConference

As the other papers become available they will also be loaded onto the Wiki. I invite you to take a look at the wiki, the forum, the Views on Responsible Tourism Survey’ and to get involved in a global discussion of the implications and expectations of Responsible Tourism in destinations across the globe.

With the first day of the Conference such a success with passionate speakers and a lively exchange of views the next few days are likely to present interesting debates and inventive suggestions on developing and managing Responsible Tourism in destinations. Delegates from Africa and Asia headlined the first day of the conference with interesting exchanges of ideas and stories of success for involving local communities in Responsible Tourism.

=__ DAY TWO**: Incredible** __**__ India __****__ Responsible Tourism in Destinations Conference __**=

After a successful first day of the conference the second day got underway with a review on the progress made since the Cape Town Conference in 2002. It can be seen that the concept of Responsible Tourism has been gaining currency since 2002 and the present conference will ensure that the Responsible Tourism concept is firmly established in the years to come.

Presentations were given today by individuals engaged in the tourism industries in India, South Africa, The Gambia, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Thailand. Thus providing a front line perspective on the way Responsible Tourism has been managed and developed in destinations to date.

Harsh Varma of UNWTO provided an insightful and engaging description of the UNWTO's engagement with Responsible Tourism, Community-Based Tourism and the STEP initiative. Thus providing inspiration for others and evidence of successful Responsible Tourism in action.

Fabrice Leclerq of the International Trade Centre presented a detailed view of the International Trade Centre’s work using tourism to tackle poverty through ITC's export led poverty reduction programme. A programme which is sure to gain notice in the next few years.

So after a busy and enlightening second day of the conference the third day of the conference will be a welcomed relief as the delegates venture around Kerala and the surrounding areas to view Ecotourism projects and Responsible Tourism projects in action. More than 400 delegates participated in the proceedings and we can now look forward to a reflection on the debates so far and today’s Responsible Tourism in action visits during the fourth day of the conference.

What's Next
2009 Responsible Tourism Conference, Belize