Taking a sign from Kerala’s successful responsible tourism (RT) mission, the Madhya Pradesh government has expressed interest to implement the model, aimed at the development of the village and local communities, eradicating poverty and giving emphasis to women empowerment.

Madhya Pradesh today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state for implementation of the Kerala model, which involves local communities and makes tourism a tool for rural development.

The two states signed a joint declaration under which Kerala will extend a series of services under a 16-point programme. The MoUs were exchanged at a ceremony by the state’s Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Usha Thakur. Surendran said Responsible Tourism is the “only tool for sustainable development of tourism” as it creates better places for people to live in and visit. Thakur said she was overwhelmed by the way the tradition, culture and heritage of Kerala is being preserved here.

Kerala Tourism Secretary Smt Rani George said the success of RT in Kerala has always been the public and private partnership. Kerala Tourism Director P Bala Kiran, welcoming the gathering, said the MoU with Madhya Pradesh marks a new progress for Kerala in RT sector. Kerala can also learn a lot from Madhya Pradesh. Kerala RT Mission coordinator K Rupeshkumar said Madhya Pradesh can become a champion in RT sector with the support of Kerala, which has already set a model in RT in the world. Sonia Meena, Deputy Secretary and Additional Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, gave a presentation on the proposed RT activities in the central Indian state.

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