Raise Kerala’s standing as a women-friendly destination: Tourism director

State Tourism Director Sikha Surendran addressing the valedictory of the Global Women Conference on Gender Inclusive & Responsible Tourism at Mankulam near Munnar on Monday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Efforts will be stepped up to raise Kerala as a women-friendly destination, Tourism Director Sikha Surendran has said.

Addressing the valedictory function of the three-day-long international conference on Gender Inclusive & Responsible Tourism at Mankulam near Munnar on Monday, Ms. Surendran said that the conclave has once again shown that Kerala always keeps abreast of inclusive, responsible, and innovative practices on tourism issues.

“ Based on the takeaways from the meet, the government will be urged to take up necessary policy interventions to secure the goals of women-friendly tourism initiatives,” said the official.

As the first step, the safety parameters required to make destinations women-friendly will be drawn up and implemented immediately. “The Tourism Department will support woman- and child-friendly tour packages. The tourism stakeholders leverage cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning. Launching dedicated helplines and mobile apps for women tourists is on the anvil.” Said Ms. Surendran.

“The Tourism Department will organize training and skilling programs to scale up the capacity of women in the sector. It is also important to create public awareness about women- and child-friendly tourism practices,” added Ms. Surendran.

According to officials, the government has called for effective policy interventions to further strengthen the State’s position as a global model in women-friendly tourism.

The three-day global conference organised by the Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission Society on behalf of the State Tourism Department in partnership with UN Women concluded on Monday.