Kerala Tourism urges state govt to introduce TO’s recognition system

To streamline the booming tourism industry of Kerala, the Department of Tourism is considering a recognition system for tour operators (TO’s) in the state and has submitted a draft proposal to the Kerala government regarding the same. The recognition system for tour operators in Kerala is considered to encourage small time operators within the state and also new entrants who are genuinely interested in promoting the state. “There are lots of clients who come and request for a tour operator who is government-recognised. This recognition will offer a tour operator a fair chance to generate more business, as the recognition would act as genuineness of quality services provided by the tour operators,” explained Dr Venu V, Secretary, Kerala Tourism. He added that the proposal is currently being studied by the government and will be implemented in the next couple of months.

The guidelines and criteria to offer the recognition to the tour operators is still being worked upon and not yet finalised. However, the recognition system will not be as stringent in terms of criteria as the Government of India (GoI) recognition for tour operators.