Latest news with #GenderInclusiveandWomen-FriendlyTourismPolicy
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Gender audit at 16 tourist destinations in Kerala by year-end: Minister
T'puram: The state govt will conduct gender audits at 16 destinations by the end of the year as part of making the state a women-friendly destination, said tourism minister P A Mohamed Riyas. Speaking after inaugurating a state-level consultation workshop on Tuesday to bring out a Gender Inclusive and Women-Friendly Tourism Policy, Riyas said gender audits were already done in six places and safety audits were done in 64 places. "The next step is to make these destinations women-friendly by looking at the findings of the audits," he added. The gender audit identifies gender gaps and inequalities and is aimed at promoting equitable opportunities for men and women in the tourism sector. The state govt has already allocated funds to give subsidies for women entrepreneurs in tourism, he said, adding that the efforts of Responsible Tourism Mission Society to aid the affected in Mundakkai and Chooralmala was an example. He said that around 17,631 women have registered as entrepreneurs in Responsible Tourism Mission Society. "Some of them are doing exclusive women tours, running women homestays and are women drivers. There is a need to train these people in a professional manner. That is going to be the next step. UN Women has helped the tourism department technically and has also approved our plan," he said. He said this was the first time a state was planning women-friendly tourism with the aim of opening women-friendly destinations and creating a network of women entrepreneurs in tourism. The move comes because the state govt realised the increasing trend of women travelling alone and in groups post-Covid, he added. The state has been witnessing an increase in domestic and foreign tourist arrivals after Covid. "Our tourist arrival numbers are above the average of the numbers of other states. Munnar got the most number of tourists last year. We are competing with countries," Riyas said. Shikha Surendran, MD, Kerala tourism development corporation, said safety studies and Posh training were given and women committees were formed as part of making destinations women-friendly. The aim of the consultation meet is to frame a draft policy. Later, Riyas told reporters that an empanelled agency was in charge of inviting influencers as part of tourism promotion and the state govt has no role in who is invited. "At that time, we did not know about the activities of Jyothi Malhotra, who was later arrested for alleged spying. She was part of a group that arrived in the state. She went to BJP-ruled states too. Such needless negative publicity may impact tourist arrivals and can be avoided," he said.
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Kerala's gender-inclusive tourism policy to support new entrants to sector: Tourism Minister
The Kerala government will go ahead with its action plan to support newcomers, especially women, to the tourism sector, aligning with the vision of inclusive and sustainable development of tourism, Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas has said. The Minister was delivering the inaugural address at the State-level consultation workshop organised to bring out Gender Inclusive and Women-Friendly Tourism Policy as part of the women-friendly tourism initiative in the State. The workshop was organised by the Department of Tourism in collaboration with the Kerala Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission Society and UN Women India. Major objectives The two major objectives of the gender-inclusive project that took off in 2022 were to create women-friendly tourism centres and a network of women enterprises in the sector, the Minister said. 'It is vital to extent support to the new comers to the tourism sector, especially women, to ensure that they flourish in the completive ecosystem,' Mr. Riyas said. 'Initially, around 17,631 women had joined the project with diverse enterprises and services. These included exclusive women tour units, homestays, souvenir units and services such as community tour leaders and tour operators. After imparting training to them, tourism activities are being conducted in a coordinated manner,' he said. Gender audit Lauded by the UN Women India, which also extended technical support in areas like destination safety, gender audit and training programmes, Kerala was the first State to conduct a gender audit in the country. This has been completed in six tourism centres and will be held in another 14 this financial year. Also, safety audit had been completed in 68 tourism spots and activities were in full swing to implement women-friendly initiatives there, the Minister said. In her keynote address, Kanta Singh, Country Representative, UN Women India, said Kerala had been showing the way for the country in many things and it was a privilege to partner with the State government and the RT project to do more for women in the tourism sector. Women's participation In his presentation of framework for Gender Responsive Tourism Policy, K. Rupeshkumar, chief executive officer, Kerala RT Mission Society, said the upcoming policy would lay down guidelines for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of gender-inclusive practices. 'The major objectives of the policy include fostering women's participation in tourism industry, ensuring safety and security and women's empowerment,' he said. It will also address issues such as workplace practices, ensure safe work environments for employees, and development of inclusive and accessible infrastructure and services in destinations. Mr. Rupeshkumar also added that an action plan on the implementation of each component of the policy would be worked out as a backup for the policy. The Gender Inclusive Tourism Policy will include stakeholders like tourism entrepreneurs, tour operators, hotels, local communities, and tourists from diverse background, especially women.
