| Rakesh Mathur elected as Honorary President, Peerzada Faiyaz convener of J&K and Ladakh | | Eco-tourism Society of India rechristened as Responsible Tourism Society of India | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times REport
SRINAGAR, May 10: The Eco-tourism Society of India (ESOI) has been rechristened and it has been named as Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI). The RTSOI is an umbrella body for all stakeholders in tourism.
The RTSOI apart from natural environment would also focus on the need for sustainability practices among urban and rural service providers, impact on local communities, etc. Rakesh Mathur has been elected as Honorary President of RTSOI while as Seema Bhatt and Rohit Kohli would be Honorary Vice Presidents.
While Mridula Tangirala has been elected as Honorary Secretary, Anirudh Chaoji would be Honorary Treasurer of RTSOI. Peerzada Faiyaz Ahmed would be the Convener of RTSOI for Jammu & Kashmir & Ladakh union territories.
The RTSOI is a dynamic team consisting of hoteliers, travel entrepreneurs, tourism specialists and conservation experts. It is actively supported by a highly dedicated, experienced and enlightened Board of Governors and honorary and Patrons.
Uncontrolled growth in mass global tourism in all segments, the presence of a large segment of tourism service providers in the unorganized sector, and the absence of a code of conduct for sustainable and responsible tourism practices, had a direct impact on the environment and local communities said the spokesperson of the RTSOI.
“Acknowledging the need to urgently bring about this awareness, the Eco-tourism Society of India was established in 2008 by senior industry professionals with support from the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Having conducted 20 workshops in 14 states, done environmental projects with state governments, several publications to its credit, and recognizing that Sustainable and Responsible tourism is not just about sensitive natural environments but also urban practices, taking local communities into account, the ESOI is now RTSOI,” said the spokesperson.
RTSOI remains the ‘Sustainability Partner’ of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) and has actively participated in the setting of standards through formulating the Sustainable Tourism Criteria of India (STCI) for the Indian tourism industry. The RTSOI works closely with the central and state government bodies, like-minded organizations, tourism companies, hotels, and regional institutions across the country to facilitate and support synergy of policies, initiatives and activities at the national and state level.
Registered as a Non Profit organization, the RTSOI appeals to conscious tourism and hospitality companies organizations institutions and individuals, who wish to walk the Sustainability path, to become members and lend support to the cause.
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