Next up, Kerala to make 9 popular tourist destinations plastic-free

In a bid to keep popular destinations across Kerala garbage and plastic-free, Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran recently launched the Clean Kerala Initiative (CKI).
As per the latest news reports, the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission is starting a waste-free project that will work toward reducing the use of plastics and introduce green certification for tourism destinations. As a part of its environmental responsibility, the Clean Kerala Initiative will be introduced at nine prominent destinations in Kerala, along with the support of local bodies, Kerala Travel Mart Foundation, and others.
During the first phase, the nine locations that will be familiarised with plastic management rules are Munnar, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kovalam, Thekkady, Fort Kochi, Kumarakom, Wayanad, and Bekal. The said project will help enable these places to acquire green certification by helping them focus on eco-friendly and responsible tourism activities.
Referring to this, the minister stated that there are around 15515 units that are functioning as a part of RT mission. However, the government’s target will be to create around 50000 more units in the next phase. There were only 198 RT units from 2008 to the next ten years, which signals that there has been a significant increase in the number of RTs in less than two years.
Kerala Tourism Secretary Rani George stated that meeting will be conducted in this regard in major destinations by her along with the Tourism Director. She added that although some of the places like Fort Kochi and Kovalam are carrying out individual activities, there is a need to institutionalise them along with the association of industry, government, and local self-governing bodies.