KOZHIKODE: The district administration’s Compassionate Kozhikode has received recognition at ITB (Internationale Tourismus-Börse) Berlin as one of the 50 inspirational global projects to be highlighted during its 50th-anniversary celebrations.
The project initiated by district collector N. Prasanth also emerged as one of just three similar socially-committed initiatives in Asia, which the World Travel Market recently described as a “groundbreaking destination project.”
In February this year, a first multi-disciplinary workshop in the city brought together representatives from the travel trade, local government and civil society, and heritage and cultural experts from around Kerala to collaborate on developing Kozhikode as a destination for experiential travellers seeking authentic, conscious and responsible places to visit.
To mark its 50th anniversary, ITB – the world's largest travel trade show – has created ITB50.com – an online portal to showcase leading examples of excellence in tourism from around the world.
Called ‘50 Destinations, 50 Encounters, 50 Stories’, the series celebrates the most inspiring and innovative examples of tourism around the world, and Compassionate Kozhikode will be one among them.
“Positioning a destination based on the value of ‘compassion’ is one of the most disruptive ideas we have come across when it comes to destination development and promotion,” said Rika Jean-Francois, CSR commissioner of ITB Berlin at the ITB 50 launch event.
“Tourism has been highlighted and promoted as a powerful tool for development, but Compassionate Kozhikode flips the idea on its head. It focuses its efforts on making Kozhikode a better place for its citizens. From this, it naturally follows that it will be a better place for travellers to visit.”
