Enchanting Kerala

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

Interview

He inspired many to go the way of Responsible Tourism meet Prof. Harold Goodwin.

Prof. Harold Goodwin is not new to Kerala. He had associated with the state even before the second international conference on Responsible Tourism held in Kochi. His latest visit to the state was in connection with the three-day international symposium on 'Tourism and Livelihood' held in Thiruvananthapuram in the first week of June 2011.

This time around, Prof. Goodwin seems to have gathered a fairly good picture of what the people of Kerala had to do with Responsible Tourism. He was delighted to find that the first success story in Responsible Tourism has taken place in the backwater village of Kumarakom and that the Department of Tourism is keen to replicate this success model in other destinations like Wayanad, Kovalam and Thekkady.

Prof. Goodwin feels that the State has now responded well to the concept and practice of Responsible Tourism. According to him, the credit for allowing Responsible Tourism to take roots in Kerala simply goes to the people and also the Local Self-Government bodies that he admires a lot and also reckons as a driving force in the democratic set up of the State.

Touching on other aspects of Kerala's tourism scenario, Prof. Goodwin said: "For Kerala, its tourism aspirations are to a great extent realised through the many facets of its daily life-the local people and its culture." This is something that he feels as one of the key elements of the 'Kerala experience'.

A professor at the Leeds University, UK, Goodwin is regarded as the pioneering personality in the field of Responsible Tourism movement around the world. His efforts have led some of the African nations like Gambia to adopt and grow through the practice of Responsible Tourism.

Kerala Tourism thanks Prof. Goodwin for sharing his thoughts, especially in the backdrop of Kumarakom emerging as a success model for Responsible Tourism.