Role of Media in Promoting Ecotourism: An Exploratory Study of Kerala
Keerthana. K
Student, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru
Sruthy. S.Vijayan
Student, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru
Eco-tourism is a way of preserving and promoting the environment. Kerala is a state known for its richness in greenery and natural beauty, also a good destination for Eco-tourism. Eco-tourism is also known as green tourism is a form of tourism involved in the protection of the natural environment, preservation of cultural heritage and the promotion of good environmental practices. It takes into account regarding the needs of the environment, the local residents, business and visitors, where a lot of tourism companies provide environmental friendly packages and services that not give the visitor a good experience which in turn helps in the understanding of the various environmental aspects of that particular destination and mainly helping in the appreciation and growth of the environment and natural cultural heritage. Thus, in a way it can be denoted that ecotourism can have an impact on the visitor who is made aware of the various environmental aspects, that paves way for individuals to reconnect with nature, to make any improvements for the environment if required, to support the individuals working in the field, and mostly to protect and help in the positive growth of the environment. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “responsible travel that conserves the environment and sustains the wellbeing of the local people.” It is a major step towards sustainable tourism and the objective lies in the protection of nature and the environment. Ecotourism had a significant effect on the economy because it created a lot of employment opportunities in Kerala’s service sector and it also helps in generating foreign revenue. Undoubtedly media has a vital role to play to promote this noble initiative since it has a better way to conserve our biodiversity. Through a quantitative approach, the present study focuses to identify the public perception of the role media played and the grey areas that need to be addressed.
Keywords: Ecotourism, Environment, the role of media, sustainable development, Tourism in Kerala
The above paper is presented at National Media Management Conference on Communicating Tourism: Media, Soft Power, and Management powered by In-Depth Communication.
16 November 2019 | St. Xavier’s College, Kothavara, Vaikom, Kerala
All abstracts have been published in conference souvenir with ISBN 978-1-647337-82-7