The Hindu : Front Page : Eco-tourism centre to be set up in capital

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 26, 2005

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Eco-tourism centre to be set up in capital

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An international centre for eco-tourism development is to be set up in the capital to provide leadership and research and training facilities for achieving sustainable development of tourism in high biodiversity regions of the developing world.

Dearth of training facilities for Government leaders, business people and managers of non-governmental organisations who need specialised training in eco-tourism has prompted the Government to set up the centre, under the Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS) run by Kerala Tourism.

Providing certificate-level training for eco-tourism development, applied research and consultancy for eco-tourism development and linkage to other training centres are the objectives of the proposed centre.

Planning, business and community development are the key elements identified for the learning modules for certificate-level diplomas. In the module for professional development, the proposal is to offer short-term courses in site and master planning for eco-tourism and in sustainable tourism for architects, planners and other specialised professions.

"The centre meant for international eco-tourism community will become operational next year," Director of KITTS G. Chandramohan told The Hindu . Discussions had already been held with founder president of the International Eco-tourism Society Megan Epler Wood for setting up the proposed centre.

Ms. Wood has agreed to share her vast eco-tourism development training experience with the centre.

Now Principal Consultant of Epler Wood International, U.S., she has agreed to work with KITTS to develop the ideas and concepts for the centre.

The proposed centre will work with KITTS to develop an affiliation with the World Tourism Organisation's Education Council. In addition, strategic affiliations with the University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management, the University of Sussex or Greenwich, the Asian Development Bank and the European Union are to be explored. The initiative has the formal approval of the State Government. A workshop is to be held in the city on January 12 and 13 to discuss threadbare the organisational set up of the centre, resource persons for imparting training, deliverables, facilities, funding and beneficiaries, Mr. Chandramohan said.

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