Experts discuss new normal of responsible tourism
A five-day online Faculty Development Programme on “Responsible Tourism in the New Normal” was hosted by the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Jamia Millia Islamia from December 6 to 10, 2021. The FDP was sponsored by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Training and Learning (ATAL) Academy. A report by Mohd Arman.
The entire programme was organised under the guidance of Prof Najma Akhtar, Vice Chancellor, Jamia.
Dr Sarah Hussain, Head of the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, JMI, Convener of the FDP inaugurated the programme by giving the welcome address. The keynote address was delivered by Rakesh Mathur (Honorary president, Responsible Tourism Society of India).
He emphasised on adopting responsible behaviour by the citizens of the country. The co-convener of the FDP, Prof Nimit Chowdhary, offered the vote of thanks to keynote speaker and stressed about the relevance of responsible tourism.
Renowned speakers from eminent educational institutions and practitioners from across the country have trained participants to have an in-depth understanding of responsible tourism and its evolution in India especially in the tourism Industry.
Prof Harold Goodwin (Adviser, WTM Responsible Tourism Emeritus Professor) talked about the new normal of responsible tourism and how it can be used as an approach to achieve sustainability in tourism. K Rupesh Kumar (State Coordinator, Responsible Tourism Mission, Deptt. of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala) presented a case study of Kumarakom – a first successful model of responsible tourism in the country and lessons learnt from Kerala over the last fifteen years. Prof Nimit Chowdhary (DTHM, JMI) emphasised on building responsible tourism in tours.
Soity Banerjee (Project Editor, Outlook Responsible Tourism) led the session into an engaging discussion on climate crises and their impacts on tourism enumerating the emerging negative and positive patterns.
Prof SC Bagri (former Vice Chancellor, Himgiri Zee University and former Director, Centre for Mountain Tourism & Hospitality Studies, HNB Garhwal University) shared his views on the scope and prospects of responsible tourism in Himalayan and North East region.
He stressed on the point that all the stakeholders must reach out to the community to maximise the positive impact at the ground level.
Prof Syed Inayat Ali Zaidi (former Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Languages, JMI) talked about perception and application of responsible tourism, he highlighted the exceptional connect that tourism has with so many fields and thus the responsibility of it becomes paramount.
ManishaPande (MD, Village Ways) stressed on the need of community engagement in tourism development and presented a case study of the Binsar model of community engagement in Uttarakhand. Dr. Saurabh Dixit (Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, NEHU) talked about the broad aspects of food and culinary tourism and how those could be made sustainable for generations to come. Prof AshishDahiya (Director, Centre for life skills & soft skills M.D University Rohtak, Haryana) talked about the challenges in responsible tourism and its future prospects.
Sumesh Mangalasseri (founder, Kabani Community Tourism and Services, Kerala) who expressed his views regarding community participation and participatory design in tourism. Prof. Joseph Antony (Former Principal, Loyola College of Social Sciences) shared the responsible practices of his company Little Paradise Homestays through community participation in Kerala. Prof. Sampad Kumar Swain stressed on future paradigms of responsible tourism and hospitality business in India and lastly Prof. Parikshat Singh Manhas (Director, SHTM Jammu University) emphasised on digital transformations and its applications in responsible tourism.
The workshop witnessed immense encouragement from participants all over India. These productive interactions created a conducible environment that fostered a learning atmosphere among the participants of the FDP. By the end of the FDP, the participants were equipped with a better understanding of various aspects of responsible tourism.
The online test of the participants was also conducted. Course Coordinator Dr. Nusrat Yasmeen (Assistant Professor) and Mohd Wasif from the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, JMI conducted the programme. The valedictory speech was delivered by Prof Mohd Asaduddin (Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Languages, JMI) in his address he highlighted the importance of the FDP and its theme in the new normal.
He also emphasised the importance of responsible tourism in the tourism and hospitality industry. The Guest of Honour, Prof. Sheeba Hamid (Coordinator MTTM, Department of Commerce, Aligarh Muslim University) has also emphasised on the multidisciplinary approach of responsible tourism to achieve tourism sustainability.
Dr. Sarah Hussain, Head of the Department, DTHM, co-convener of the FDP welcomed the guests of the valedictory session. Dr. Vijay Kumar, Assistant Professor, DTHM presented a programme report. A formal vote of thanks was given by Mohd Wasif, Assistant Professor, DTHM.
Arman is a research scholar at Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Jamia Millia Islamia
