Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 8 (ANI): Kerala Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas on Tuesday said the state 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.

The Minister was delivering the inaugural address to the state-level consultation workshop to bring out a Gender Inclusive and Women-Friendly Tourism Policy as part of the women-friendly tourism initiative here.

The workshop was organised by the Department of Tourism in collaboration with Kerala Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission Society and UN Women India.

The two major objectives of the gender-inclusive project that took off in 2022 were to create women-friendly tourism centres and create a network of women enterprises in the tourism sector, the Minister said.

'It is vital to extend support to the newcomers to the tourism sector, especially women, to ensure that they flourish in the competitive ecosystem,' 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 like community tour leaders and tour operators. After imparting training to them, tourism activities are being conducted in a coordinated manner,' he said.

The government also has allotted funds for the women's ventures through RT's subsidy scheme, Riyas said.

The Minister said Kerala Tourism's women-inclusive project was greatly appreciated by the UN Women India, which also extended technical support in areas like destination safety, gender audit and training programmes.

Riyas said Kerala was the first state to conduct a gender audit in the country. This has been completed in six centres and will be held in another 14 tourism centres this financial year. Also, a safety audit has been completed in 68 tourism spots, and activities are in full swing to implement women-friendly initiatives there.

Holding that the women-friendly initiative will help overcome the challenges in the sector, Riyas said post-COVID-19, the state clocked a record in domestic tourists' arrival while outpacing other states in the national average of foreign tourists' arrival.

In her opening remarks, Kerala Tourism Director Sikha Surendran said the women-friendly initiative of the state has become a global model for others to emulate it.

'Apart from firming up Kerala's position on the global tourism map as an all-season experiential destination, our RT initiative has brought significant benefits to the local communities, especially women as its major stakeholders,' she noted.

S K Sajeesh, Chairman, Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Ltd (KTIL), presided over the function. A panel discussion followed the inaugural session.

In her keynote address, Kanta Singh, Country Representative, UN Women, India, said Kerala has been showing the way for the country in many things, and it is a privilege to partner with the state government and the RT project to do more for women in the tourism sector.

In his presentation of a framework for Gender Responsive Tourism Policy, K Rupeshkumar, CEO, Kerala RT Mission Society, said the upcoming policy will lay down guidelines for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of gender inclusive practices.

'The major objectives of the policy include fostering women's participation in the tourism industry, ensuring safety and security and women's empowerment,' he said.

It will also address such issues as workplace practices, ensure safe work environments for employees and development of inclusive and accessible infrastructure and services in destinations.

Rupeshkumar added an action plan for the implementation of each component of the policy will 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, tourists from diverse backgrounds, especially women.

Mini Sukumar, Member, Kerala State Planning Board & Governing Body Member, The Gender Park, said a positive transformation has happened in the tourism sector after the implementation of a women-friendly initiative. S Swaminathan, Secretary, Kerala Travel Mart Society, and Jose Dominic, Founder, CGH Earth, also spoke.

The speakers at the panel discussion included Veda Bharadwaja, Country Programme Manager, UN Women India and Dr Peeja Rajan, State Coordinator, UN Women India. (ANI)