Dear Friends,
Please see this forwarded mail and do the needed. You can sent your support letters to Sumesh or me .
Anivar
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: sumesh mangalassery < [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Feb 13, 2006 12:37 PM
Dear friends and colleagues,
Kerala tourism has been short-listed along with Greece and Mexico for World Travel & Tourism Council's 'destination award for the year 2006. The finalists were selected by an international committee of 'experts' from over 100 applications from more than 35 countries. WTTC representatives are currently carrying out an onsite verification visit in order to assess Kerala's eligibility for the Award 2006.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is a membership organization representing the big players in the global Travel & Tourism Industry, lobbying with Governments to impress them with figures of "one of the world's most important contributors to the economy and employment".
From our point of view, Kerala tourism is not at all a role model of sustainability (and a WTTC award is not an award that we actually want – but that it is a different matter which might be addressed at a later stage). We have expressed our concerns in the attached letter to WTTC and media release.
We invite you to support our call for a larger debate on the true nature of tourism development in the state, on its questionable economic contributions and its negative impacts upon vulnerable communities and Kerala's fragile environment.
If you can agree with the points we raised in our letter, we request you to get back to us by 16th Feb. and by signing it , support it as it is. Or if you do not agree with all the points or want to raise additional points of your own, please directly write to WTTC ? ( WTTC e mail ID is [EMAIL PROTECTED] , CC to [EMAIL PROTECTED] )
Thanking you for your solidarity.
Greetings from Kerala!
The KABANI Team
Following is the Letter to WTTC and Media release
To
The Finalists' Selection Committee
Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2006
World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), London
Dear Sirs,
We express our serious concern regarding the WTTC destination award Kerala tourism has applied for. We understand that the Tourism Department has painted a one-sided and biased picture of Kerala tourism. If you look deeper than just at the tip of the iceberg, you will find that at this stage, Kerala tourism is not at all a role model of sustainability by any international standards. Rather, the lack of sustainability in Kerala tourism raises several questions that will need to be addressed before Kerala as a destination can be eligible for such an award.
We therefore urge you to abandon your decision to consider Kerala tourism for the best destination award. The current malpractices, lack of transparency and non-participatory tourism projects based on ill-conceived policies in Kerala are causing tremendous damages to the vulnerable and marginalised communities and fragile environment in Kerala. Evils of tourism such as the commercial sexual exploitation of children are rampant in the state.
The recently introduced tourism legislations are undermining the legitimate powers of local democratic institutions, thus negating people's participation in tourism. The Kerala Local Authorities Entertainment (Amendment) Bill 2004 has weakened Panchayats, depriving them of several crores of rupees income due to them, which could be used for local development. The Kerala Tourism (Conservation & Preservation of Areas) Act 2005 effectively strips Panchayats of their powers by constituting a committee dominated by bureaucrats, and by stating that no development activity may be carried out in so-called "special tourism zones" except by permission of the committee.
We would like to remind you that according to your own criteria, a destination that wins the award "will be able to demonstrate maximum positive benefits and minimum negative impacts, as well as the adoption of planning and policies that promote sustainability". Kerala tourism, however, has a strong record of proving that planning, policies and regulations to date have not effectively addressed major problems caused by tourism. These include the unsustainable extraction of ground water in tourism spots such as Kovalam, which is causing a serious lack of drinking water for local communities. Problems also include the pollution of the backwaters by the tourism industry, especially the increasing number of houseboats. The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations by hotels and resorts are a serious concern in the state, and so is the uncontrolled tourism development in Kovalam and Kumarakom, which has lead to many environmental and social problems. Prostitution including the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Kovalam and Varkala is rampant. Sustainable waste management systems are completely lacking in the state.
It has been clearly demonstrated that the claim that "tourism is a vehicle for developing the environment" in the state is highly questionable at best and unfounded at worst. So is Kerala's unsubstantiated claim about "success in maintaining a policy of sustainable management incorporating social, cultural, environmental and economic aspects as well as multi-stakeholder engagement" – a key criterion for any WTTC destination award.
The mere adoption of planning and policies that may or may not at some point in the more or less distant future promote sustainability is not sufficient for giving'Tourism for Tomorrow Award' to Kerala as a destination. We urge you to meet a broader range of civil society representatives to understand the true nature of tourism development in the state. Any decision taken without listening and responding to the voices of voluntary organizations in Kerala will tantamount to neglect of the acceptable international practices of screening processes for such widely respected awards.
Expecting you to look into the matter,
Yours faithfully,
Please write :
Your Name and Address
Media release
WTTC destination award:
The lack of sustainability in Kerala tourism raises questions
The lack of sustainability in Kerala tourism raises questions
Thiruvananthapuram, 11/02/2006. KABANI, a voluntary organization in Kerala, urges the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to abandon its decision to consider Kerala tourism for the best destination award. KABANI wants WTTC to recognize that the current malpractices, lack of transparency and non-participatory tourism projects based on ill-conceived policies in Kerala are causing tremendous damages to the vulnerable and marginalised communities in Kerala. Evils of tourism such as the commercial sexual exploitation of children are rampant in the state. "At this stage, Kerala tourism is not at all a role model of sustainability", says KABANI.
WTTC representatives are currently carrying out an onsite verification visit in order to assess Kerala's eligibility for the WTTC's 'Tourism for Tomorrow Award' 2006. They are looking for 'best practice' in tourism development.
We understand that the Tourism Department has painted a one-sided and biased picture of Kerala tourism. If the WTTC panel shows the determination to talk to a more representative cross section of stakeholders, they will be able to understand that Kerala tourism is not a sustainable tourism development model by any international standards.
Sumesh Mangalassery from KABANI points out "rather, the recently introduced tourism legislations are undermining the legitimate powers of local democratic institutions, thus negating people's participation in tourism. The Kerala Local Authorities Entertainment (Amendment) Bill 2004 has weakened local bodies, depriving them of several millions of rupees tax revenue due to them, which could be used for regenerating local economies. The tourism policies in Kerala are stifling the local economies and depriving local communities of their livelihood systems. The Kerala Tourism (Conservation & Preservation of Areas) Act 2005 effectively strips local bodies of their powers by constituting a committee dominated by bureaucrats, and by stating that no development activity may be carried out in so-called "special tourism zones" except by permission of the committee.
We would like to remind the WTTC panel that according their own criteria, a destination that wins their award "will be able to demonstrate maximum positive benefits and minimum negative impacts, as well as the adoption of planning and policies that promote sustainability". Kerala tourism, however, has a strong record of proving that planning, policies and regulations to date have not effectively addressed major problems caused by tourism. These include the unsustainable extraction of ground water in tourism spots such as Kovalam, which is causing a serious lack of drinking water for local communities. Problems also include the pollution of the backwaters by the tourism industry, especially the increasing number of houseboats. The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations by hotels and resorts are a serious concern in the state, and so is the uncontrolled tourism development in Kovalam and Kumarakom, which has lead to many environmental and social problems. Prostitution including the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Kovalam and Varkala is rampant. Sustainable waste management systems are completely lacking in the state.
KABANI urges the WTTC panel to meet a broader range of civil society representatives to understand the true nature of tourism development in the state. Any decision taken without listening and responding to the voices of voluntary organizations in Kerala will tantamount to neglect of the acceptable international practices of screening processes for such widely respected awards.
It has been clearly demonstrated that the claim that "tourism is a vehicle for developing the environment" in the state is highly questionable at best and unfounded at worst. So is Kerala's unsubstantiated claim about "success in maintaining a policy of sustainable management incorporating social, cultural, environmental and economic aspects as well as multi-stakeholder engagement" – a key criterion for any WTTC destination award.
According to KABANI, the mere adoption of planning and policies that may or may not at some point in the more or less distant future promote sustainability is not sufficient for giving'Tourism for Tomorrow Award' to Kerala as a destination. We therefore urge WTTC panel to meet civil society representatives to get a more balanced view of the processes of tourism packaging and its negative impacts upon the marginalised and vulnerable communities and Kerala's fragile environment.
For more information:
KABANI - the other direction
Sumesh Mangalassery
TC17/1982(1), Palace View Road,
Poojapura, TVM
Ph: 9447546584
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] , [EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.kabani.org
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