Kerala to promote eco-friendly and sustainable tourism activities; e-auto and bicycle safaris will be made available to a specific proportion of guests participating in RT Mission

Kerala intends to promote eco-friendly and sustainable tourism activities in the well-known and up-and-coming tourist areas close to its backwaters, beaches, and rivers. As part of the efforts, e-auto, and bicycle safaris will be made available to a specific proportion of guests taking part in the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission packages at various locations. RT Mission will carry out the project with the assistance of the local self-government entities. 

The mission had already started taking action to pilot this in several of the State's locations. He cited the distribution of e-autos to chosen recipients in Kadalundi, Kozhikode, as well as cycling in Kumarakom as examples of locations that will be covered by the scheme. In order to foster an emotional connection between visitors and the destination or the place where they stayed, tourists participating in responsible tourism packages would also be encouraged to plant a tree sapling at the destination in remembrance of their visit to the place or at the place where they stayed.

A total of 1,000 trees will be planted at chosen areas in the first phase, according to the State Coordinator of the RT project, for which the State government had approved funding of Rs. 1 lakh. To encourage eco-friendly transport, the RT Mission would provide funding to a few women's organisations so they could purchase electric vehicles. According to the officials, local entities will also be urged to encourage different stakeholders to launch green travel projects within their purview. At a time when the world was becoming more and more conscious of the risks posed by climate change and global warming, this was a little step towards a clean destination.