Karnataka Tourism keen to evolve eco-tourism policy

Karnataka Tourism, in association with the Jungle Lodges and Resorts, will conduct an ecotourism workshop in Bangalore on February 26, 2008 in order to explore the possibility of developing an ecotourism policy. It will conduct studies on the carrying capacity, locations and possible ecotourism projects in an effort to evolve a full-fledged policy. Officials from the forest department will address the various issues in evolving such a policy.According to ND Tiwari, Managing Director, Jungle Lodges and Resorts, an ideal ecotourism policy should have guidelines on the type of infrastructure that can be created, types of eco-friendly resorts, waste management systems, energy management, use of forest land and so on. "Some of these guidelines are already there in the current tourism policy of the state, but there is a need for developing a separate ecotourism policy," maintained Tiwari.