Speaking on the occasion, Mr Surendran said PEPPER, which stands for Peoples’ Participation for Planning and Empowerment through Responsible Tourism, was the most progressive of the tourism models that have been implemented in the State.
“Now onwards, tourism projects would not be declarations from the above, but those evolving through locally generated discussions at the grass- roots level and the local bodies. These would then be submitted to the Department of Tourism for implementation,” he said.
According to him, Responsible Tourism was no more a mere slogan for the State. It is the a development model that was being implemented with clear policy strategies for the good of the people. The State could not go in for a tourism policy that did not conserve nature, art, and culture of the land, and one that did not take care of the well-being of local people, he said.
This is an edited extract from The Hindu.
