Catching up with the global trend, women-friendly tourism is gaining momentum in Kerala with the government initiatives turning the entire state into a safe, clean and comfortable destination for women to travel solo or in groups, Tourism Minister Mr P A Mohamed Riyas said.
Kerala has set another successful model by promoting women-friendly tourism in partnership with UN Women, Mr Riyas said while flagging off an all-woman destination promotion campaign organised by Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission Society (KRTM Society) from the city.
“It has become a global trend for women to travel alone or with friends, colleagues or family, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. When hosts are also women they are more comfortable. This model also opens plenty of economic opportunities for women, especially at the local community level,” Mr. Riyas noted.
Noting that the members of the destination promotion campaign are students, the Minister said it is significant that youngsters have become promoters of Kerala tourism by joining the campus tourism clubs. Tourism Director Ms Shikha Surendran IAS and KRTM Society CEO Mr K Rupesh Kumar were present.
The group that set off from the Park View complex that houses the Directorate were selected for the campaign based on their expertise in promoting tourism on social media handles. They will tour panoramic places like Amboori and Vellarada in the district to take the message of women-friendly tourism and encourage women to be stakeholders in this fast-emerging model.
The Women-Friendly Tourism Initiative was launched in October 2022 as a project of the Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission.
The KRT Mission was entrusted with the responsibility of promoting the model in which women at the local community level play a lead role as hosts and facilitators providing a whole range of services, creating a network of women stakeholders and service providers.
A key component of the project is to turn the tourism destinations across the state into places where women have a safe and comfortable travel experience. Since its launch, thousands of women have joined the initiatives and several RT units have started tour packages exclusively for women.
Significantly, 70 per cent of 17,631 KRTM Society units are women-owned or led, and all of them have joined the Women Friendly Tourism initiative.
Also, workshops and training programmes in destination management, hospitality and souvenir making have been organised to enable women to benefit from the model. Kerala also stands out as the first state to conduct a gender audit in the tourism sector in association with the UN Women.
Also Read
Tourism Poised to Smash Records in 2024
Watch on Youtube
