Kerala Tourism is planning to introduce a policy that will accredit tour operators that meet certain standards by month end. According to Suresh Kumar P G, Deputy Director (Publicity & Marketing), Kerala Tourism, the policy will be implemented immediately after it has been introduced. Tour operators can apply online for their accreditation. Now, the details of eligibility criteria to get accredited are being hashed out by a panel of industry leaders. Kerala is the first state in India to provide accreditation for tour operators, yet evidence is showing that many Indian states plan to follow suit for both tour operator accreditation and other actions to legitimize and quality control its tourism industry.

The roll of the Travel Trade committee is to set up standards that will be maintained by tour operators who wish to be accredited. They will also make sure that accreditations are adequately publicized to create an advantage for those who do meet standards. The chairman of the Travel trade committee said “Committee members will carry out further verification and evaluation of the tour operators. In future, accreditation may become mandatory for all tour operators in Kerala.”

This will help Kerala’s reputation for high quality, legitimate tours.