Experts Say India Must Catch Up In Sustainable Tourism

The first-ever India Travel and Tourism Sustainability Conference, organised jointly by the MakeMyTrip Foundation and the World Travel and Tourism Council India initiative, has called for an all-out effort to make travel and tourism sustainable before time runs out for the industry and its stakeholders.

While sustainable tourism is gaining momentum and ground globally to become a US$ 11.4 trillion economy and 10 per cent of all global travel, India as a destination cannot remain silent and not act on it. In his welcome address to the sustainable tourism conclave, Deep Kalra, founder of  MakeMyTrip and chairman of WTTCII, said that India as a country has a lot of catching up to do as less than 2 per cent of all travel happening in India currently falls in the category of sustainable travel which is relatively low compared to many developed countries of the world.

He said that although efforts are happening in a few places, mainly in Kerala and Rajasthan, the movement is yet to take the shape of a nationwide movement. He said it is a campaign and movement that touches three essential aspects: environment, culture and economics to build a resilient future. Therefore, it should be inclusive.

Kalra explained the various programmes for a sustainable environment with which the MakeMyTrip Foundation is associated, including planting trees in Rajasthan, working in mangroves in Gujarat, cleaning beaches in Andaman and Dal Lake in Kashmir.

Delivering a keynote address on the occasion, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Culture and Tourism Minister, said that India, as a tourist destination, must create a couple of model sustainable tourism destinations that can be replicated across the country.

The minister called for a sense of ownership and participation by all stakeholders. Government policies alone could not help the cause. The minister said that the government has started including sustainable tourism as one of the essential aspects for approval of centrally funded projects under flagship programmes like Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD.

The union minister said traditional destinations must be deconsecrated and that Goa's model, especially the 'Beyond Beaches' programme, is a good example. The event saw the launch of the Sustainable Hospitality Handbook, developed by the Hotel Association of India in collaboration with MakeMyTrip. The handbook offers hotels a practical framework to adopt an environmentally friendly approach. It draws on globally recognised methodologies and Indian case studies to make sustainability implementation accessible across the hospitality spectrum.

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