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In order to develop sustainable tourist destinations and promote sustainable tourism in the country, the Ministry of Tourism organised the first regional workshop on the Development of Sustainable and Responsible Tourist Destinations at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.
The workshop was organised on Tuesday in association with Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI). The workshop witnessed wide participation of senior government officials and Tourism industry stakeholders of States and Union Territories of Central and Western region viz Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Daman and Diu and Goa. In his key note address, Prashant Ranjan, Director, the Ministry of Tourism highlighted the need of sustainability in tourism and the significance of Centre, State and industry collaboration in achieving the objective. He also spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for environmental sustainability. He underscored how tourism can be aligned with LiFE Mission. He introduced the Travel for LiFE campaign launched by the Ministry of Tourism. Uttank Joshi, Assistant Director General, Ministry of Tourism shared success stories of Swadesh Darshan 1.0, a flagship centrally sponsored scheme of the Ministry of Tourism for creating tourism infrastructure in the country. He also gave an overview of Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and how it integrates sustainability in destination development. Anirudh Chaoji an eminent eco-tourism practitioner and representative of RTSOI deliberated with the participants on sensitising the tourist and creating a demand for responsible travel. In the workshop, efforts like the Global Tourism Plastics initiative and the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism launched in November 2021 in climate change CoP 26 were discussed. Presentations were also made by State Tourism Departments Central and Western region representatives, calling attention to their best practices in sustainable tourism. Central Nodal Agency for Sustainable Tourism, Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management briefed the participants about the salient features of Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India (STCI). The participants also took the Travel for LiFE pledge to commit themselves towards travelling responsibly. Grassroot industry stakeholders also presented their innovative ways of implementing sustainable tourism in different regions of central and western regions to create a tangible positive impact. (ANI)
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