On the World Tourism Day, Ministry of Tourism, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and The Responsible Tourism Society Of India (RTSOI) joined hands to sign a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate and promote the cause of sustainable and responsible travel in India as well as the launch of The Responsible Traveller campaign.
Speaking on the occasion, Rakesh Mathur, Founder Member and President of RTSOI, elucidated the journey of RTSOI which started in 2008 as Ecotourism Society of India (ESOI) with the Tourism Ministry’s blessings. He shared how RTSOI stands for the cause of sustainability and listed its achievements which included establishing the Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India (STCI), in association with MOT, publishing environment handbooks, conducting workshops and many more. In an impassioned address, he gave a clarion call to the industry to join hands with RTSOI to make tourism a more inclusive and sustainable sector.
Seeking support from all the stakeholders in the industry, he said, “I seek unqualified support of the industry in achieving our mission. See this as CSR.”
Speaking on the occasion, Atul Bagai, Head UNEP said, ”UNEP will not only support the Responsible Traveller campaign , but will also support the cause of transforming tourism in India”. He also elucidated on the UNEP’s program on reduction of usage of Single use Plastics in all sectors, including tourism and also informed that UNEP has declared this decade as the decade of Ecosystem Restoration and that goes hand in hand with Sustainable Tourism.
Arvind Singh formally launched the ‘Responsible Traveller Campaign’ after the historic signing of MOU between MOT, UNEP and RTSOI. Adding his thoughts about the Responsible Traveller campaign, he said “It will be activated throughout the country with some part of it already active on social media. It is important that development through Tourism is sustainable, responsible and inclusive. He hoped that this crisis shall be an opportunity to rethink the Tourism sector and its contribution to the sustainability of people and planet”
