Call for sustainable tourism in Puducherry

Management of sustainable tourism from economic, social, cultural and environmental perspectives was needed, a US expert on sustainable tourism Kathleen Pessolano said Thursday.

A power-point presentation on 'Sustainable Tourism in Puducherry' was made by Pessolano at a function organized here jointly by the US Consulate General in Chennai and the Territorial Department of Tourism.

The field of sustainable destination management was relatively new with ever-increasing domestic and international destination tourists to South India, she said.

Hence, it was essential for communities to establish policies and systems, she said. The policies and systems were necessary to thrive while promoting tourism in the years to come, said Pessolano, who is the destination programme director for the UN-backed Global Sustainable Tourism Council(GSTC).

Also, a private-public partnership was required to pool in resources to address shared challenges and generate mutual benefits across various sectors, she said.

Cultural affairs officer of the US Consulate General in Chennai Moulik Berkana made introductory remarks. Pessolano is visiting Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai under the aegis of the US Department of State connecting US experts with institutions in India through lectures, workshops and seminars, a press release of the US Consulate General said.