BHUBANESWAR; IN a significant development, Odisha Tourism was conferred the Silver Award for “Best Future Forward State” at the sixth edition of the Indian Responsible Tourism Awards, organised for the first time outside the National Capital Territory of Delhi, at Eco Retreat Odisha in Konark.

Besides, Kerala won the Gold category award in the same segment. The awards recognize champions of ethical travel as a regional partner of the reputed World Travel Market’s Responsible Tourism Awards held in London.

Active sessions were held during the summit and successful case studies discussed involving sustainable solutions to manage water, waste and carbon footprints through community-oriented actions with community-led sustainable niche tourism project ‘Ecotour Odisha’ being highly appreciated by the delegates present, thanks to efforts by Odisha Tourism Team led by Principal Secretary Tourism and Sports, Vishal K Dev.

Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Minister Tourism & OLLC, Government of Odisha said, “Odisha’s contribution to promoting responsible tourism is well established. Our ecotourism model of community-managed nature camps have since 2016 empowered rural populations with an alternate and sustainable livelihood. From developing Odisha’s tourism and hospitality infrastructure for greater resilience against disruptive events such as cyclones and pandemics, to ensuring the responsible design of new tourism products – we have made sustainability our mantra”.

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