Known for its brilliant initiatives, the state of Kerala has taken up another initiative toward building its tourism industry under a project termed the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission. Initially started in 2017, the project is expanding toward a women-friendly tourism network led by women and for women. Through this initiative, the Kerala government aspires to turn tourism into a viable income source for the rural community. Also, the traditional local artisans will benefit from this mission.
Under this project, presently, the government has a network of 25,000 functional tourism units ranging from homestays to farm tourism. As per the RT Mission State Coordinator, Rupeshkumar, 18,000 RT units are run by women and are a head start for the campaign. He further stated that the inclusion of women combines two global campaigns, namely UN Women- Gender Inclusive Tourism and Tourism For Inclusive Growth.
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To establish the groundwork for this campaign, the government will conduct volunteer training sessions. To ensure safe travel for women, the audit will include the provision of accommodation, washroom facilities, and restaurants. So far, there are roughly 1500 volunteers for the campaign. However, the end goal is to take 30 women on board from each village. The responsibilities of women involved in this campaign would be tour coordinators, caterers, and take carers of homestays.
Overall, the Responsible Tourism Mission is an exceptional initiative taken by the Kerala government to not only empower women and create entrepreneurial opportunities for them but also to turn Kerala into a tourism spot for solo women travelers.
