Revista de Turismo y Hotelería
Acceso abierto
ISSN: 2167-0269
ISSN: 2167-0269
Meera Ranjith
"Around the world, ecotourism has been hailed as a panacea: a way to fund conservation and research, protect fragile and pristine ecosystems, benefit rural communities, promote development in poor countries, enhance ecological and cultural sensitivity, instill environmental awareness and social conscience in the travel industry, and satisfy and educate the discriminating tourist".
At the threshold of the new millennium, tourism has emerged as the biggest industry of the future. Tourism today is an economic activity of immense global importance. Perhaps there is hardly any other field of activity where so many people are involved directly or indirectly. Tourism has found a niche for itself as a very effective instrument for generating employment, earning foreign exchange, and thereby facilitating overall development. Kerala is popularly known as' God's Own Country'. Tourism is the fastest growing industry in Kerala and the State Government has been earnestly supporting the tourism sector and much of its growth is concentrated in natural areas. Changes in the market forces as well as move towards environmentally sensitive and sustainable forms of tourism offers the maximum potential for the promotion of ecotourism in Kerala.
Kerala has excellent natural resources, several wildlife sanctuaries, and National parks. Major ecotourism resources of Kerala are 14 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 6 National parks, several scenic mountains, freshwater lakes, mangroves, etc. In Kerala 56 places have been identified for development as ecotourism destinations emphasizing conservation, ecological sustainability, environmental education, and local community benefits. Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala is one such destination. In this background, an attempt is made to study the potential and scope of ecotourism in Kerala with a special focus on Tourists to Ecotourism destinations in Trivandrum.